Destinies Entwined
by Inuyuke
Summary: A/U; No PP; What would happen if Vlad's plans for world domination came to fruition? Ruling over the world, a small rebellion force in Amity Park steps up to the plate, but can they win when the famous Ghost Boy has gone missing? Valerie Gray, Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley fight for their lives against Vlad's seemingly never ending army.
1. Chapter 1: Sam

**Story Warnings:**

Character death, lemons, violence.

**Chapter Warnings: **

None

**Story Rating: **

M. (NC-17+)

**Chapter Rating:**

T

* * *

**A/N;**

Hey everyone! I wanted to try my hand a slightly darker, more macabre type of fiction, because I find those to often be the best reads. There will be fluff, there will be smut, there will be character death, lots of fighting, FEELS and all the other good stuff.

You have been warned!

* * *

**Chapter 1:** Sam.

**Started:** June 12 2012

**Edited: **June 13 2012

**Uploaded: **June 13 2012

* * *

Being hunted most of your life would give you a certain advantage; crazy muscles, great agility, that sort of thing. But for me, it was just another fact of life. I'd been hunting ghosts since I was fourteen. So an army of them wasn't all that much different, right? Just a couple hundred more than normal, that's all. I sat on my bed in my dingy apartment, wondering where my childhood had gone. I was getting ready for the morning, sitting in my towel and doing up my hair, tying a strip of spikes in it as normal, the spikes preventing anyone from grabbing my ponytail and yanking, without some serious damage to their hands.

Being part of a rebellion had its advantages. It kept you in shape and sharpened your senses. But it was a great emotional toll. Constantly fighting against an army, with no way to match their strength was hard.

A small explosion alerted me to a suicide bombing near my building and I swallowed, looking out the window. It wasn't often I got to be at home, and I hated the fact that the fighting already extended to here. Getting up, I quickly put on and zipped up my jumpsuit, securing the numerous weapons to it and quickly stepped out into the living room, almost bumping into Valerie as I did.

"Morning Sam." Valerie chirped, already in her Red Huntress outfit. Despite the mirth in her voice, her eyes were steely; betraying to me the extent of exhaustion and bitterness the war had placed on her.

"Good morning Val. Is there any news about that explosion just now?"

"No..." She frowned, looking at her communicator watch. Tucker had designed them special; they were equipped with a holographic screen we all called the holoscreen that allowed Tucker's image to be broadcast to us when he was giving a message. It also allowed him to see what was happening around us. "Tucker hasn't contacted me yet."

It wasn't normal for Tucker to be anything but on top of whatever was going on in the ruins of Amity. After all, we were one of the only remaining areas fighting Vlad's hold. "I still can't believe it's come to this." I shook my head, grabbing the wine from last night's supper and chugging some of it before offering it to Val, who shook her head politely.

"I mean, Vlad was always crazy, but I never thought he'd..." My throat tightened, and Val placed her hand gently on my shoulder. She knew what I was referring to. Danny was gone. We never really knew what happened to him, but we all suspected it had something to do with Vlad. After all, Danny had been in his prime. His ghost powers peaking and he had been gaining new powers and strength every day. He had fought Vlad with everything he had. He had kept back Vlad's plans for months, almost a year before he had just suddenly disappeared.

I shook my head, getting my composer back. "Come on; let's get to base before Tucker yells at us."

Valerie agreed and was soon on her hover board and off she went. I took my motorbike, taking my time and trying to assess where the explosion had taken place. Luckily, by the steaming bricks and the scattered pieces of something that used to be human, it appeared to have taken place in a long-abandoned factory. Nothing lost, nobody else hurt.

I arrived at base, and quickly went up to the meeting room where Tucker and Val were bent over a map. "They're getting braver." Tucker was saying as I entered. "They've already bombed out here, here and here." His finger moved deftly over each area, pointing out the areas of attacks. "They're too close to our base."

"Then we either relocate, or find a way to lead them off our scent," I said coming around the table and leaning over the map. Tucker looked up in slight surprise. He hadn't heard me come in.

"Ah, Sam. How are you doing today? Your arm okay?"

I flexed it to show it was healing alright after that scuffle a while ago, and nodded. "Peachy, thanks Tuck."

"Anyway, we're one of the last strong holds against Vlad." I continued, pulling out a chair and plopping down onto it. I eyed Tucker, appreciating how much he'd built up over the last ten years. He was still, compared to when I'd last seen Danny, pretty lanky and weak, but for our purposes, he was just right. "So we can't risk being blown to bits."

Tucker nodded, "But I don't see how we can just up and move. There are things we need to pack, we have to track Vlad's movements and this is geologically the best-"

"We know, we know," Valerie said, sighing and waving a hand to keep Tucker from ranting. He could go on for hours.

"Alright, so we can't move until we know more." I said looking up at them. "I mean, Vlad's got to make a move at some point. We just have to be ready for him, right?"

Tucker nodded, rolling up the map. "It's not like we have very much to move, anyway." he said bitterly.

Shaking my head I stood. "I'm going to start my rounds."

Valerie nodded, "Good idea," she agreed, grabbing her hover board, "I'll do south, you do east?" she inquired, pulling her hood over her head.

"Yeah, sounds good. Tucker, we'll radio in if we see anything." I said, turning and leaving.

* * *

Everything seemed to be normal on patrol. A few scuffles, and the still, deathly quiet that had taken over this part of the country. Vlad wasn't trying anything, which was nice, but at the same time surprising. I supposed it had to do with the rebellions in other parts of the country. After all, we weren't alone, though we were his prime target, having the most abundant knowledge of Ghost-Warfare and anti-ghost weaponry.

He must be annoyed, I mused as I stepped over some rubble and along an abandoned street, he was sending a few of his army here, but he never sent too much that Tucker, Valerie and I couldn't handle with help from the remaining citizens of Amity.

Being a small rebellion force had its advantages sometimes. We had eyes and ears inside with the help of Danny's Mom, Maddie, who Vlad had taken prisoner at the start of all of this, and she was able to send communications to us sometimes as to what Vlad was planning. She wasn't always able to get word to us though, Vlad kept her by his side most of the time, watching her like a hawk. But we appreciated whatever help we could get.

I cautiously moved along, checking for any signs of Vlad's minions approaching, keeping my back pressed against a still stable building. I peeked around the building I was using as shelter, trying to see if I could spot an enemy before it snuck up on me. What I saw instead made me gasp, my jaw falling open in shock.

"Sam?" The familiar voice resonated in my ears and I blinked, unbelieving as I took a small step forward. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

"...Danny?"

He grinned his goofy little grin and stepped forward, arms open. "Sam..." His blue eyes were so alluring, I couldn't help but step forward as well, my gun lowering.

That was my mistake.

His grin suddenly turned from innocent and welcoming, to feral and murderous, before I could back away, he took one more step and...exploded.

* * *

The ringing in my ears was the first sign that I was still alive. Then the pain hit. I wanted to scream but something inside of me stopped me. Pain meant things were still responding, I could still move. Barely. I twitched a finger, the searing pain shooting up my arm and making me wish I was dead. Slowly I opened my eyes to blue skies. I was still where I had fallen.

Suddenly, I was very glad Tucker had forced us into survival classes. I vaguely remember jumping away, tucking my head in against my chest, letting my back take most of the explosion. Again, I was so glad that we had durable materials on our bodies.

No one was coming for me; I was on my own here. I realized this because my com. watch was shattered and laying in pieces next to me.

As my hearing came back, I felt slightly less vulnerable. At least I'd be able to hear if anything was coming. Slowly, I managed to turn to my side, nearly vomiting from the pain it caused me and I looked around. There was rubble around me, which made sense because of the explosion and I carefully crawled over to a stable looking pile, using it to prop myself up into a sitting position.

Even that caused my head to swim and my ears to start ringing again. I waited until the world stopped spinning before I was able to get myself to a semi-standing position.

It was a challenge, trying to stand and walk. I used the rubble for support before I came out of the destruction area, and then took to leaning against a building and catching my breath.

I hadn't let myself think about it until now; I had been too preoccupied with trying to walk. Had that really been Danny?

He looked so human, so real... It couldn't have been, I decided as I looked back over at the rubble. There was no trace of a human there. This must have been another of Vlad's dirty tricks.

The sun was setting as I got back to base; Valerie rushed out and helped me into my chair, fretting over my wounds as I recounted what I'd encountered.

Tucker was pale; his glasses sliding down his nose and his mouth open slightly. It would have been comical if I wasn't being sewn up in the process.

"...Suicide Danny's..." He breathed after digesting the information for a bit. "I can't believe the fruitloop would sink so low. And how did he do it? Does he have Danny? Is that how he got the DNA to make him so similar?"

I shook my head, biting back a groan as Valerie spread peroxide on my wounds. "I saw one too," she said quietly, avoiding everyone's gaze. "I couldn't believe it. I mean, there he was, walking along as if it were normal." She swallowed, "He walked right up to a building, grinned, and then...exploded. There was nothing left. I was glad I was on my hover board or else..." She drifted off mid sentence, starting to wrap my wounds.

"It's hard on all of us," I commented softly, "We all knew him, one way or another."

We were silent for a while, remembering his goofy laughs, corny jokes and his awkward yet confident way of moving around.

"Alright, enough." I said decisively, standing up, trying not to show how much pain I was in. "We still have some more patrolling to do. I don't know where Vlad's placed his army."

Tucker frowned at me. "I know I don't know you as well as Danny, but I know you enough to know you're in a lot of pain, Sam. Patrols are off tonight, I'll send the robots out." Tucker had designed small robots that could keep watch over our self-imposed borders. He sent them out normally at night when we all were exhausted, and sometimes on days like today, when we needed them more than ever.

I nodded my thanks and Valerie took me home to our shared apartment. I only started crying when I got onto my bed.

It was so unfair, to see Danny after all these years, and to have it turn out to be a clone; a diversion made by Vlad to throw us off his scent.

I looked at the small, sun-faded picture in the frame next to my bed of Danny, Tucker and I laughing and hanging out. It was taken just outside of Danny's old home, when we were only fourteen, just after he had gotten his powers.

How quickly things change.


	2. Chapter 2: Unknown

**Chapter 2:**

_Unknown._

* * *

**Started:**

_June 13th 2012_

**Edited:**

_June 19th 2012_

**Uploaded:**

_June 19th 2012_

* * *

**Chapter Warnings:**

_Language._

**Chapter rating**:

_High T low M._

* * *

It kind of sucks being vacuum sealed for all eternity. The cylindrical object was home, now. He floated there, having long since lost his shape in the small space and just shifted around in circles as a mass of energy, each particle bouncing off of each other and never quite living in harmony. It was better than the constant cramped muscles and stiff limbs though, so it wasn't all bad. He had plenty of time to muse; plenty of times to relive what he'd done, though it had long since lost its appeal. Countless times remembering killing and maiming people tended to lose its appeal after a while.

He missed his family, he wouldn't admit it, but he missed them terribly. Their erratic ghost hunting behavior, the way they embarrassed both him and his sister and their stupid, oblivious ways of life. But then again, it wasn't only them he remembered. He had another set of memories plaguing him as well, taunting him with its own horrid images. Memories of always being cold and hungry, memories of loving parents stretched too thin over their many responsibilities. He remembered fighting hard to get a scholar ship to get into the University of Wisconsin and he remembered being hospitalized for months with an incurable disease. He remembered the burning anger at Jack Fenton, still felt it even as his matter bounced around in a haze. He still had love for Maddie Fenton, though that sickened him deeply. She was also technically his mother, and he should _not _have feelings like that for his mother. So he suppressed them as best he can, concentrating instead on his memories of one girl in particular.

It still pained him, even now as he thinks of it, about the young woman he let get away. Her laugh and her perfect black hair and her obsession with protecting everything with a face, her clear, amethyst eyes. He sighed, or it felt like he sighed, one never really could tell in this contraption and again he wondered how he could have been so stupid as to let her get away, and then above all else _die_. It was times like this when he wished he was a physical entity again, where he could punch and smash and chase the memories away with the intoxication that comes with pain and killing.

Was that a movement? He could have sworn the walls of his prison had moved slightly. His particles gathered at the bottom of the container, every atom quivering with anticipation as the telltale scraping of the lid being removed resonated towards him.

Fresh air; he hadn't felt fresh air in what felt like an eternity, the rush was almost too much and it went to his head, his atoms racing in an attempt to beat each other out and into the less crowded space. The hiss of the thermos was accompanied by a mist as his particles rushed to rebuild him. The dense fog shielded anyone from looking at his half built form as long-forgotten muscles blazed to life, complaining loudly of their time cramped in such a small place. He stretched, his muscles tenderizing and his bones popping back into place.

"This feels so GOOD!" he exclaimed, running his hands along himself, making sure he was all there, his cape billowing slightly before dying down to hang limply behind him, his black and white suit a mock reminder of the hero he used to be. "I can't believe I forgot what it was like to be FREE!"

But something was wrong. His hair, hanging limply around his shoulders, was not yet lit, and the dark area around him was unrelenting. Lighting his hair to give him some light, he looked around. The cogs were still there, but they were no longer turning at their steady pace, the infuriating tick-tock of the clock muted. He sneered, a fang hooking over his lip as he shoves his hands in his pockets, strutting forward. Where was that despicable excuse for a Master of Time?

Everything seemed to be old, cobwebs hanging from cogs and dust choking him, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the air. "Come out come out wherever you are." he called into the dank air, though nothing returned his words but his own echoes. Maybe that meddling bastard finally kicked the bucket. He chuckled to himself, returning to the dented thermos and picking it up. Maybe it had simply fallen and he hadn't noticed.

But somehow, that thought didn't comfort him as much as he thought it would. It would have served that jerk right to be taken care of after all this time. Crushing the old thermos in his hand he glanced at the cogs that served Clockwork as viewing screens. They were blank now. Some of them showed nothing but electronic snow. A smile played on his face as he sauntered over to them, running a finger along the coating of dust.

"This is just magnificent." He said, "Clockwork's gone. Seems the worlds fallen to shit." His wolf-like grin stayed plastered on his face as he started to laugh, a deep chuckle resonating from his gut and he slammed a hand on the cog with his laughter. He didn't admit it to himself, but his crushing loneliness was getting to him. To be confined in the thermos for Clockwork knows how long, and then to be released only to still be alone was too much for him, putting another crack in his already fragile mind.

In his euphoria, he failed to notice the cog's screen sparking to life until noises started cackling out of it, erratic and broken as if heard from far away. Pausing, hiccupping from his hysterical laughter, he crouched, folding his legs in front of him as he sits, watching the screen of the cog.

"Now now, what do we have here?" He asked leaning forward as the wasteland came into view, not unlike what he himself had created so many years ago.

A black haired woman, roughly twenty six years old and well built fought against- was that Danny? He felt his hands clench as he glared at his former self. How dare Danny continue on while he, the better self, was locked away? But then he noticed something, they _were_ fighting. Danny and Sam-because he could now tell that it was indeed her- were fighting. Not making goo-goo eyes at each other or staging "fake-out make-outs". He felt his rage build as he saw Sam had no way to escape, she was pinned beneath a mass of sticky ectoplasm and Danny was approaching her fast. Even if she wasn't trapped under the ectoplasm, he didn't think she'd be able to escape. She was bleeding badly and from looking in her eyes, she was delirious.

This was unacceptable. Sam wasn't allowed to live and then be killed by Danny. That wasn't right. Feelings he had long since thought dead came bubbling to the surface and every feeling for her, every dream and every aspiration rushed back and brought back a flicker of humanity.

This would not be allowed to come to pass.

Standing, the wall of muscle growled at the screen. He had to save Sam, and fast. But how was he supposed to get there? She was stuck in her time, and he was here in this damned lair of this damned-.

Clockwork, the Master of Time, had portals to other dimensions, besides, as one of the most powerful ghosts, he was able to create his own portals out of his own ecto-energy. But that was only helpful for places he knew, and he'd never tried teleporting between times.

Still...Sam needed his help. If he had any chance at getting her back, even if he was saving her just to say that this time he did, he had to try. For Sam.

He weighed his options carefully, but quickly. He didn't know if what he had seen was past, present or future, but he just knew he had to get to her, and quickly. He refused to watch her die a second time. He knew that if he attempted to create a portal, he'd burn a lot of energy, especially given the fact that he'd been in captivity for who knows how long, and that he had never attempted this type of portal before. Captive or not, it could take up most if not all of his energy to breach the confines of time and space.

He bit his lower lip reflectively, wincing as his fang pierced the skin there before he shook his head, deciding he'd better see if Clockwork's portals were up and running before he tried something as stupid as breaking the space-time continuum.

If he remembered from his time visiting here before everything had take a drastic turn for the worst, literally, he knew he'd find the portals inside of cogs. So first he tried pushing his hand through the image of Sam still on-screen. No luck. "Fuck." He muttered, standing up straight and looking around, his white-fire hair billowing in anger. With his luck, the damned portals would be inactive and he'd have to find a way to turn them on. If he could at all.

He wandered around for a little while before coming across large cogs, large enough to act as portals. But their faces were black, lifeless and still. Growling in frustration, he kicked at the side of one remembering how the viewing-cog had sparked to life. It didn't work.

"Fuck you, Clockwork!" He yelled out to the black area, hoping that the time ghost would hear it and respond. Several seconds past and no reply, and he huffed, annoyed. "God damned piece of shit. Are you happy now, Clockwork?" His fists began to glow with green energy. "You took them away once, and now you tease me with a glimpse of her- Only to make _sure_ she dies!" He was ready to spit venom with how angry he was. His red eyes were glowing with rage as he again punched the cog, his energy transferring from his fists to the cog, the glow surrounding the piece of machinery for a second before being absorbed.

"It's not fair." He muttered, for the millionth time in his short ten years of life. "I didn't _want_ to lose everything. I didn't _want_ to become what I am. You gave _him_ a second chance...why not me?"

Defeated, he kicked the cog one last time, jumping back as it started to move. With a groan, dust and dirt started to fall from the wheels as it moved slowly, a fuzzy green glow starting to emanate from its center and he slowly pushed his hand through, testing if it was real.

He'd found it. He'd found the portal that would help him help Sam. Grinning, he thought about where he wanted to go, his hand still inside of that green mass of energy, the portal hissed and sputtered for a moment, and he experienced a pang of panic that it would go out. Soon enough though, he put his fears to rest as the portal showed a fuzzy image of Sam's world.

He took one last look at the prison around him- the old stone towers, the floating clocks and endless maze of cogs- and stepped through into the bright light and fresh air of the desolate wasteland Sam now called home.

He was going to save her, evil super villain or not.

Dan Phantom's resolve hardened. He would be a hero again. One last time.

* * *

**A/N:**

HAH! As if you didn't know who that was by like...the second word. But yeah. I hope you liked the second chapter. c:

For those of you waiting on Inferno: Yes! It's coming! But I had half a chapter written out when I had to back up my files and send off my laptop, and I'm currently missing Word. As soon as I get Word back, I'll make sure to get it done and posted! (I know I can simply put it on my desktop, but my laptop is so much easier to write with. I'm currently using a combination of Tumblr for spell check and Note Pad for storage to write this one and it's NOT fun.)


	3. Chapter 3: Sam

**Chapter 3:**

Sam.

* * *

**Started:**

_ June 22nd 2012_

**Edited: **

_June 27th 2012_

**Uploaded:**

_ June 27th 2012  
_

* * *

**Chapter Warning:**

_Language_**  
**

**Chapter Rating:**

T

* * *

Opening my eyes was a challenge due to the bright, blazing light shining down on my face. I could hear several machines hard at work and an excessive beeping that was slowly driving me mad. I could hear voices, though they sounded like they were coming from somewhere underwater.

I closed my eyes tight again, unwilling to allow the bright light in and I groaned, shifting a little. Remembering what happened was a challenge. It was a big area of black in the back of my mind. Almost as if someone just went in there and turned the lights out.

"...believe this." Suddenly, as if someone had drained the lake my hearing seemed to be in, I could clearly make out words floating around me. The voice was deep, rough, and the words were said with a snarl. The owner obviously wasn't pleased about their predicament and I couldn't really blame them. Especially if they were in any condition like I was. I couldn't even lift my fingers; they felt like they were filled with cement.

"Y'know, if it had been anyone different, I would have been sorry for you." That was definitely Tucker. He sounded as annoyed as the mystery voice sounded angry. "But...you know I don't. Because you're you, and really, you shouldn't be alive."

"Don't you fucking think I _know_ that?" Again the snarl was back, a wet angry noise and I pictured the speaker spitting as they spoke, long trails of saliva dangling out of their mouth. I cringed at the mental image. "I _know_ I should be dead, but I'm not, I'm here. And I _saved her._" I heard something that sounded like leather being strained and someone taking a step back. I assumed it was Tucker. He always was the most cowardly of us. "And _this_ is the thanks I get."

Something cool was placed on my forehead and I forced my eyes to open, temporarily taking my concentration off of the conversation. A nurse was standing over me, smiling sweetly as she picked my head up carefully, pressing a glass against my lips and I gratefully took a sip of water.

"Thanks," I managed to croak out, my voice was barely more than a whisper but she nodded with a smile, stepping away.

"She's awake." Mystery-Voice spoke again, but this time it was quieter, subdued and maybe a little worried

"Duh," Tucker said, and I could hear his footsteps as he came over, leaning into my field of vision. "Sam?"

"Heya Tuck. Did we win?" I grinned weakly, the muscles in my face protesting and I could feel the bruises there now.

"Yeah, thanks to Mr. Villain-turned-hero." He replied sarcastically, sending a seething glare at Mystery-Voice. There was a small worm of warning in my head. Something telling me that yes, I knew this Mystery-Voice, and it wasn't from a good experience. But for the life of me, I couldn't place it. Tucker obviously knew him, so there's got to be a connection there somehow. A ghost, maybe? The room did feel a little more chilled than normal.

Tucker looked at me again, his eyes softened with concern. "But you're okay now. That's what counts." He took off his glasses rubbing them on his shirt, squinting at me as he tried to keep me in focus. "You were pretty banged up, you had Val and I pretty worried."

"I was worried too!"

Tucker ignored Mystery-voice and continued watching me as he put on and adjusted his glasses. There was something about Mystery-Voice that reminded me of Danny. Maybe it was the small amount of tremor in his voice, the lack of confidence as if he were unsure he'd be accepted.

Something pushed that thought away and I looked up at Tucker. "How long am I going to be down for?" All I really wanted was to be back on my feet and fighting. I couldn't be down long. We needed to be on our toes all the time. I thought of all the ground Vlad could have gained and I shivered. True, our rebellion was a few thousand strong, but that was nothing against Vlad's army, and I felt like Tucker, Val and I were the backbone of our little army.

"A couple of weeks. Don't worry, Sam. East Bridge is taking over while we're down. They don't have a strategist as good as me," Tucker grinned proudly and I rolled my eyes, "but they'll be okay for now. Nothing's going to happen, and you deserve some downtime."

No, I didn't. But I didn't say as much, because in the state I'm in my body is more than able to protest my words. So instead I just sighed and stared at the ceiling. "So who exactly saved me?"

Tucker hesitated, glancing behind him and I heard a snarled "Tell her!" from Mystery-Voice.

"Well..." Tucker hesitated, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "You _do_ know him..." He finally sighed, losing his mental battle. "Dan Phantom. You remember him right? Tried to kill us all, Danny's evil future self?"

Yes, I did remember, but I couldn't comprehend it right away. Dan Phantom. _Evil_ Dan Phantom, saved me. How did he get out of the thermos? How was it possible he was here?

"But...Danny didn't become him." I muttered stupidly.

"Ugh, I _know._ Does _everyone_ have to comment on that?" Dan sounded annoyed and...at a loss. Almost as if he had been set for rejection, and when he didn't out right get it, he didn't quite know how to respond.

I propped myself up on my left arm, looking around the small room for Dan, ignoring the pain in my muscles and bones. I saw him in the far corner looking like a kicked puppy who has an aggression complex. He had a collar around his neck, which I identified as a modified Specter-Deflector, used to control ghost powers instead of repel them. His hands were cuffed behind his back and his legs tied to the chair he was sitting on.

His red eyes locked on mine for a minute, loathing battling something else before he narrowed his eyes and looked away pointedly. I sighed. "Thank you, Dan. Really." I didn't remember what happened, but by the way everyone was fussing, I would have been dead if Dan hadn't come along.

"Yeah...whatever. I was just in the right place at the right time." He mumbled, glancing at me quickly before looking away again, becoming very interested in a spot on the wall.

Something was up with him but I couldn't quite place it so I lay back down, accepting the water Tucker passed to me. "Where's Valerie?" I was glad my voice was getting stronger with each sip of water, even if drinking it burned my sore muscles. It worried me that she wasn't here. She'd become one of my best friends after Danny had disappeared, and she and Tucker had dated for a while, though they claimed they were currently on hold due to the war. Too much on the line if one of them were killed in battle. I didn't always believe it. Not when I lived with her and Tucker was frequently over.

"She's helping East Bridge." He replied. "I've sent word on the holoscreen, but she hasn't replied. She's just busy. She's got a lot to do over there. They were bombed pretty badly."

I nodded, closing my eyes when a wave of tired hit me. I vaguely remember Tucker telling me to sleep, and the sound of a chair being moved before I passed out.

* * *

Dan looked down at his clasped blue hands, shaking a little as I watched him. I was sure he didn't appreciate being studied so thoroughly but I couldn't help it. He occasionally glanced up at me as if seeing that I was still there before awkwardly looking away. He was acting so Danny-like I couldn't help but stare.

"So...Dan." I started, shifting on my bed. I was able to sit up now without nausea and I was even able to move around on my own. I'd been able to glance at my medical records and the report Dan had made when he had brought me back. Apparently, he had tracked our base through the holoscreen on my watch to get me back safely, and had seen me through one of Clockwork's viewing portals, knowing I needed help and coming to my aide.

He had come just as an army of what we've dubbed Suicide Danny's had me surrounded. I could remember some of that. I had been fighting some of Vlad's human cronies, and I was losing the fight when the first Suicide Danny appeared and the enemy humans backed off. I found myself being pushed back by them, and tripping over a rock as the first one exploded, cutting me deeply in several places and I had fallen, hitting my head on a sharp rock and everything had become double. I don't know if there were as many Danny's as I thought, but there were enough that if they went off, I'd be killed.

Dan said that he had come for me just before they closed in on me, picked me up and flew me above their range. We had studied the Suicide Danny's and discovered they were his human form only- they were unable to go Ghost and fly, which had been an advantage at this point.

I still don't like to think about the glint of amusement in Dan's eyes as he told me about how he had destroyed every last one of the Danny's. Despite the fact that they were filled with some sort of volatile substance and incapable of any sort of independent thought and action, they still resembled my best friend. And that was upsetting.

"...Why did you save me?"

Dan squirmed, unease flashing across his face before looking back at me, his stone-cold demeanor back on. "I couldn't let you die again. Not when I could stop it." He didn't rub his neck or look away, so I knew he was telling the truth. Danny's side seemed dominate when I was around him, and Danny always used those motions when stuck in a lie. "I had a chance to make sure you lived, and I took it. Big deal."

I looked him over. He hadn't aged in the thermos. Then again, being outside of any time stream would probably do that to you, I supposed. He was still his twenty-six year old self that he had been when he tried to destroy our lives. He narrowed his eyes as he caught me staring. "What?" he growled, shifting on his seat trying to appear more powerful.

I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Something told me he had enough Danny left in him that he wouldn't be able to _really_ hurt me. But what do I know? He did try to kill us the last time he saw us.

Sighing, I looked away. "It's nothing. Just...thank you. For saving me."

"Yeah, well, don't expect it too often. I still have a reputation to keep up." He stood, hooking a finger under his collar and shifting it, growling in annoyance as he stormed to the door. He was allowed to wander free, but his powers were kept under strict control. His pure muscle power however, we could do nothing about. He paused, his blue hand grabbing the door handle so tightly, his knuckles turned white, seemingly battling with himself. "Sam?"

I looked at him, cringing at the sound of metal bending as his grip tightened. "Yes?" I asked quietly, looking up at him. His flaming hair sent the room into deep shadows, and those were covering most of his face, making him seem very ominous.

"...I'm really glad you're okay." He opened the door with such force it slammed against the wall and ricocheted back into place, not even able to latch and slowly groaning to a halt, semi-open and warped as he stormed down the hallway, ignoring any noises that came out of my mouth.

Slowly, a small smile spread on my lips.

* * *

Dan's fist came flying through the air aimed straight for my head and I ducked, narrowly avoiding being brained by the powerful punch. With an aggravated snarl he turned aiming to kick me in the midsection but I leaped out of the way, tucking in my head and rolling deftly to the side, springing to my feet and resuming my defensive position.

We stared at each other, my breath sounding all the more loud in the otherwise quiet area. Dan wasn't even breathing hard-though that led to the question: Do ghosts breathe as a reflex? Surely they don't need to breathe to survive.

Shaking my head to clear it of those thoughts I narrowed my eyes at Dan, he stood in an easy stance, one hand calmly raised as if he were inspecting his fingernails through his glove. I almost laughed at him if our eyes weren't connected.

"Okay, okay enough." Tucker broke the tension in the air and I relaxed my defensive position, moving my head to crack my neck. "Dan, you're too tense."

"Don't tell me how to fight, four-eyes." Dan growls, cracking his knuckles as he glared at first Tucker before turning that malicious glare at me. "Just because you've started to trust me a bit more doesn't mean I can't turn around and snap your neck like a twig."

Tucker stared at Dan in mute horror for a minute before clearing his throat. "Well...that's not something we want to think about, now is it?" He asked quietly, looking at me.

It was true that over the weeks of my recovery Dan had become more trusted. He hadn't done anything that would point to him returning to his man-slaughtering ways, but he was still-well, _Dan_ and he needed to be closely monitored. As such, his collar stayed on, but he was slowly becoming a member of our team.

Or, as he liked to point out, _we_ were slowly becoming members of _his_ team. Shaking my head, I walked over to the small table in the back of the room and grabbed a glass of water, Dan coming over and leaning against the wall, watching me.

"Stop it," I glared at Dan over the rim of my glass. "I'm not a child you know, you don't have to watch me like I'm going to fall over at the slightest breeze."

"Oh, but you will." Dan growled, his menacing red eyes locked on mine. "Because you are a human. And as a human you are weak." He moved, and in the blink of an eye he was right in front of me, so close our chests almost touched as we breathed, he leaned down slightly, his fangs flashing. "And sooner or later, you're going to fall."

I stared straight ahead, my heart pounding as he chuckled deeply, a sound that made my skin crawl. "And I'm going to be right there to watch." The words, though menacing, weren't as frightening as they should be. They were said almost with an air of uncertainty, as if he himself wasn't sure what to believe. I shifted as he stayed standing where he was, before turning with a flutter of his cape and marching off.

I stayed where I was for a long time, trying to decide what he meant, and how I felt about it.

* * *

**A/N: **I am _so_ sorry if this shows up in your inboxes three freakin' times. I kept forgetting things in the chapter and the only way I can edit it is through Doc. Manager so I have to delete the chapter and re-upload it. DX I won't mess again I PROMSIE!


	4. Chapter 4: Sam

**Chapter 4:**

_Sam_

* * *

**Started:**

_June 29th 2012_

**Edited:**

_July 19th 2012_

**Uploaded:**

_July 19th 2012_

* * *

**Chapter warnings:**

_Language, sexual references_

**Chapter rating:**

_T+_

* * *

Dan phased through the wall and landed silently beside my desk. I barely glanced up as he approached me, standing slightly behind and leaning one hand on my desk as he leans over me, reading my report over my shoulder.

Ignoring him, I continued to type, knowing it bugged him and smirking a little. His annoyed growl only encouraged me to continue before he grabbed a hold of my chair and swirled it around, glaring at me. "Stop ignoring me!" His red eyes smoldered with anger and I simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well?" I asked as he remained silent. "What are you so desperate to tell me?"

He growled, narrowing his eyes at me and I stood my ground, not giving him an inch, knowing he's trying to assert his dominance over me and therefore the operation. If I were to give ground and add a 'please' or any other sort of politeness to my gruff statement, he'd use it to take a mile.

Eventually, our staring contest drew out the last of his patience and attention and he snorted, crossing his arms like a child. "The ghost zone isn't much better than here." He'd been sent on a mission into the ghost zone to see what there was to see. We hadn't had the time or the money to venture into the green yonder, especially without a ghost around to keep us protected. Dan's arrival had been the perfect opportunity to probe the zone since Danny had been around.

Dan rubbed the collar around his neck, snorting with displeasure. "I doubt we'd find very much help in there." I sighed, having anticipated the answer but still not liking it.

"Well…thanks for checking anyway, Dan." I noticed the slight flicker of surprise and pleasure that passed by in his eyes as I thanked him, turning back to my computer.

"What are you doing?" He was probing, carefully testing the waters and his limitations with me. I could hear the slight hesitation in his voice, despite how desperately he was trying to hide it. A small smile of amusement spread on my face but I quickly banished it. I knew I was over analyzing it, and I didn't want to start to think he was on our side and then have him turn against us.

"I'm just writing a report of that run Valerie and I did the other day." I muttered, continuing to type as he leans over my shoulder, reading it.

"Oh." He said, bored of it already. It must suck having a mind of a fourteen year old. "I'm bored."

"I figured." I saved the document, making a mental note to review it later and I turned to him, resting my chin on one hand as I smile up at him. "What's on your mind? I'm sure Tucker has a patrol or something he'd love to send you on."

"I don't _want_ to go on a mission." Dan huffed, plopping into an old couch that sat against one wall. "I'm bored of that. It's always the same, crushing some Danny clones- which, by the way, is an amazing amount of fun- and retreating when we get too close to what we _assume_ is Vlad's base. Why can't I just go in? I want to kick some Vlad ass."

"I've told you before that's suicide. Even for a ghost." I tried to reign in my annoyance at having to explain this again. "We have no idea what kind of ghosts or people, or ghost weapons he has hiding behind those doors, or even if he's in there. We can't risk you, or anyone else, being destroyed because of a foolish, headstrong urge to go in. It's got to be strategic and careful."

Dan flung one arm over his arms, groaning at my lecture. "I know… you've run through this before." He raised his other hand and made a crude talking motion. "Blah blah blah safety first. You always were a mothering type of woman."

He and I paused as he said that, he very rarely mentioned anything about his memories of the past, and I never pressed him for them. It was a touchy subject for the both of us. The awkward moment passed slowly, the both of us silent and remembering before he sprang up, cracking his knuckles. "I guess I'll just go to the gym." He nodded as he spoke, as if he himself weren't sure what he were saying until it came out of his mouth.

"Right. I'm going to finish this report, and then go on a supplies run if you want to come with." I pulled my hair back, tying it in a bun before turning back to my computer.

"Huh. Yeah, maybe I will. I can be like your body guard or something." Dan grinned, punching the air and I smiled, reminded of Danny. "But I'm going to go work out now. Come on down to the gym when you're ready."

* * *

"So you couldn't find _any_ ghosts?"

"No…it was completely abandoned." Dan frowned, running his finger along a shelf thick with dust and grimacing with disgust at it. "I searched for hours, and you know how large the zone is. Maybe there were some beyond where I went but, whatever. I wasn't going any deeper in with this damned collar on."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing as many canned foods as I can, making sure to skip the rotten, bloated cans, having learned from experience that they're dangerous. "You know why that stays on."

"I know. But that doesn't mean that I can't fucking hate it." Dan glared at the door, cracking his knuckles as if daring anyone to come in and give him an excuse to punch them out. Around us, explosions sounded as more and more teams met with Vlad's army and engaged in combat.

We had to end that soon.

"Tucker's spy-bots got back to us." I say distractedly, passing him a full bag of canned food and looking around for anything else that might be of use. "He's decoding it and then if the reports are good, we can sneak into Vlad's base. Maybe take him out."

He grinned his wolfish grin, his sharp, shark-like teeth glistening in the pale light. "Great. I'd love to punch that punk right in the jaw!"

The com-watch beeped and we both froze, looking down at it before up at each other. Dan instantly clenched his fists and a deep, primitive growl rising up in his throat.

"Well well well…what do we have here?" A smug, sly voice purred out from just behind me and Dan twisted around, trying and failing to get his powers to come to him as his collar did its job, his eyes narrowed with hatred. "A couple of trespassers, hm? Tsk…how sad."

A hand gripped my chin and turned my face around, leaving me staring right into the red eyes of Plasmius. "And really, by sad I mean sad for _you._" He cackled like a hyena. "I couldn't care one smidgeon about you!" He brought my face close to his as another pair of arms wrapped around me. I didn't need to turn around to know that it was a duplicate of Vlad's holding me in place. Dan was probably trapped by another one. "I'd give you a message to send to that little tech friend of yours…but I'm afraid I know it won't be getting to him. Nevertheless, he should learn to keep his pesky little bugs out of my business."

I opened my mouth to retort but he pressed my jaws closed, his grin exposing his vampire-like teeth. "Now now Samantha, I don't want to hear that grating voice of yours." I felt the arms of my captor melt into sticky ectoplasm, binding my hands and arms to my body. "Not until I want you to scream, that is." He chuckled, turning my head to see Dan, his red eyes blazing with rage as he struggles against the pools of ectoplasm gluing him to the wall. Without his powers, he's useless.

I curse that stupid collar, making a mental note to get it off the second we're out of this situation. "What's the matter, _Vladdie_?" Dan snarled, and my eyes snapped over to him again, silently willing him to shut up. "Maddie won't love you? Oooh boohoo. The poor baby." He sneered, baring his fangs as if to threaten Vlad.

But Plasmius knew he was powerless. "Madeline will love me in her own time." He replied, lazily inspecting his gloved hands. "She's mine now, and that's what matters. I'll impress her with my world, when I've dealt with this pesky resistance, I'll rule, and she will be my Queen." His grin almost split his face and if he wasn't still holding my chin, I would have backed away. "And she will _love me_!" Power pulsated out of him and knocked me onto my back, Plasmius' fists clenched as he turned towards the trapped Dan.

Dan was grinning, as if all of this was planned and entertaining. Vlad stalked up to him, cracking his knuckles as he approached. "Are you amused, you pathetic excuse for ectoplasm? What amuses you? Your pathetic situation? Your girlfriend helpless on the ground?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Dan growled, muscles rippling under the splatter of ectoplasm. "And I'm grinning because this is all so ….so _stupid_. Maddie won't ever love you, and you're stuck with your head up your ass in your own damned fantasy. Have you _looked_ around you? The world you want to rule is _shit._" Plasmius' lips peeled back, his ghostly aura brightening with anger. "We're in a corner store to steal canned goods, there's barely any natural life around us, the world is basically dust. And you _want_ this?" Dan laughed, enraging Plasmius even more. "You really _are_ a fruitloop."

Plasmius snarled, punching Dan across the jaw and I winced as I heard a sickening crunch. "I am not a fruitloop!" he snarled, cape billowing as his powers kicked up a wind from nowhere. "I'll enjoy destroying you!" His voice lowered to a hiss which was almost more terrifying than his yelling. "I'll pick off your stupid little team one by one." At this, Plasmius stalked back over to me. "And I'm starting with this little bitch here."

Dan's eyes almost popped out of his head with his anger. I could feel the anger and power radiating from the time-travelling ghost, the collar sending sparks along his skin, his muscles rippling as he tried to rip out of the ectoplasmic slime, growling as Vlad grabbed me and lifted me up.

"Checkmate, ghost." Plasmius grinned as Dan struggled. "I have the key to your group. You'll all crumble, one. By. One." Plasmius began to laugh as we vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

* * *

Teleportation was weird. It was like being condensed into a small space, which lasted for so long my heart raced and I began to panic. I've never been good with small spaces. But as soon as it started it was over, and I felt like I was being stretched thirty feet tall, though I couldn't really see in the pink mass that we were in so I had no way to tell.

And then it was over and I was thrown roughly into a cold, brick wall. "Ugh…" I didn't have enough time to register was what happening before my arms were yanked roughly above my head and cuffed to the ceiling. My feet dangled so my toes barely touched the ground. I bit my tongue, refusing to scream. They wanted me to scream.

I peeled open one eye ever so slightly, peering at the ghosts in the room with me. They were glowing skeletons, reminding me of the time so long ago when Danny fought Pariah Dark's army. They cackled together, their teeth clattering as they joked about something. If I didn't want to let them know I was awake, I would have glanced up at my wrists. As it was, I could barely move with my screaming arm muscles.

There was something wrong. I didn't know what was happening, what Vlad planned to do with me, but I knew I needed to get out. Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fists, swinging my legs up to my chest and started to rock, my feet contacting with the skull of one of the skeleton ghosts, knocking it forward and into the other one.

I swung back with my momentum, watching the ghosts warily as I glanced up at the cuffs and chains that held my arms to the ceiling. The cast-iron hook was sealed and embedded deeply into the rock overhead. There was no way I'd be able to break the chains.

My swinging slowly stopped and I regretted it. My arms screamed more than ever, the muscles in my armpits working to keep my arms in their sockets. A losing effort, it felt like.

The skeleton I knocked down got back on its feet, its red eyes glowing and its jaw clattering. It brought its arm back, as if to hit me when it froze, it and it's friend's heads turning towards the only door in the room.

"What's going on in here?" That wasn't Vlad's voice… I paused, trying to place it, and then I almost choked- Walker.

The skeleton ghosts clacked their jaws as they scurried from the room, Walker entering with Plasmius close behind him. "Would you look at that. The punk's bed buddy."

I blushed just thinking about what could have been and Walker's skeleton face seemed to twist in a grin, the bleach white of his skull glowing harshly under the florescent lights. "Yes yes, now you need to take her away." Plasmius waved his hand as if to dismiss it. "Take her to your prison or something."

Walker's gloved hand grabbed my chin, yanking my head forward, inspecting me with his hollow eye sockets. "The price you ask is high, Plasmius. Especially with the punk no longer around, there's no thrill."

"But there is." Plasmius hovered closer, his arms crossed. "Because although Daniel isn't around anymore, there is another that'll come for her." He smirked knowingly at me, and I glared back. "So there's always the thrill of anticipation. And besides, even if he doesn't come from her, she's _alive. _ She'll bleed."

Walker grinned. "I'll take her then."

* * *

**A/N:**

Hey guys!

Woah okay so this chapter was actually pretty long! ...I guess? haha, I'm not actually sure. But anyway, I don't know if anyone noticed but I've changed the rating from "M" to "T" until the story actually _needs_ the "M" rating. I'm hoping i'll get a few more reviews because more will see it this way. Anyway~ I'm not planning on making this story extra long. I'm thinking maybe 7 to 10 chapters, considering we're already getting into the action. ANYWHOODLE~! I'll catch you all next time~!

ALSO. I have Word back! 8D I have an amazingly awesome friend who gave me a code and iesjdklf I AM SO HAPPY.

RAY OUT! :D


	5. Chapter 5: Sam and Dan

**Chapter 5:**

_Sam and Dan_

**Started: **

_July 30 2012_

**Edited:**

_August 05 2012_

**Uploaded:**

_August 05 2012_

**Chapter Warnings:**

_Torture, explicit language._

**Chapter Rating:**

_Extremely high T_

* * *

__**A/N: **Sorry about the abrupt change of Point of View later in this chapter. I hate when people do it, and I hate doing it, but in this case it was necessary if you didn't want a chapter half as long as the others, and besides, I really wanted to write in Dan's POV.

* * *

_**Sam's POV**_

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

I moaned, the loud drip from some leaking faucet or pipe driving me insane. My arms hadn't been untied since I'd been transferred here, my wrists still locked above my head, supporting the weight of my body as my toes barely scraped the ground.

The pain had intensified to the point where there was none anymore. There was just a numb tingle where my armpits were. I'd been stripped of my dignity, my clothes torn from my body and carelessly thrown into some ghostly contraption. Walker had come in occasionally, Bullet by his side like some sort of ravenous, plague-ridden dog following him, begging for scraps.

The warden had just eyed me, nodding as he looked me in the eyes before leaving. Bullet looked over my body, a sick grin plastered on his face before he followed his master.

I suppose I had to consider myself lucky. Aside from allowing me to hang naked from my arms, they hadn't done anything to me yet.

Well, that was about to change.

I opened my eyes from the light slumber I was in as I heard the door to my cell open. I just wanted to sleep, I hadn't been able to for—who knows how long I'd been in here. I kept my attention on the door as a smaller ghost entered. He was cloaked, his head low. I didn't feel threated by him as he looked up at me, offering me a small, nervous smile.

He didn't say anything, and I didn't offer any words either. He set down a case he was carrying, popping it open and rummaging through it, making sure I couldn't see inside. I wasn't concerned, staring ahead and waiting for Walker. I knew he wouldn't be too far behind any unexpected guests.

The little ghost grinned and stood up, walking around and behind me. I paid him no mind until I felt the sharpest prick against the bottom of my foot.

"Son of a—" I jerked my foot away, causing me to sway and I heard a little snarl behind me and a cold hand clamp around my ankle, keeping me still. "Get off of me you little creep!" The little ghost poked the sharp instrument in the exact same place as before, shallow, but enough to hurt, as it drew a line down the bottom of my foot, changing directions to make a little half square, peeling the skin back.

I screamed. I felt no shame as I let all the air in my lungs out as the little ghost began to skin me alive, starting with the bottoms of my feet. Normally I tried to contain myself, to appear stoic and strong to my enemies, but being skinned alive was like nothing I'd ever felt before, and I screamed until my throat bled. The small ghost didn't seem fazed by the blood dripping out of me, running his knife down my calf, slicing more skin off.

He was very precise with his movements. He knew where to hit for maximum pain, and how to make sure I didn't bleed out. There was nothing left to scream, my voice raw and the pain mingling with everything else to create a red haze in my mind.

This progress seemed to go on for hours, the small ghost working his way up. At one point he left the room, granting me a small window of blissful pain free moments before he came back, dragging a crate behind him. He looked at me, before hopping on the crate, pressing the knife against my abdomen and slowly making an incision. I grit my teeth as his small fingers grabbed the flap of skin, slowly, torturously pulling it down. I didn't think I had any scream left in me. I was wrong. I screamed louder than before, the sensitive skin on my stomach making the pain of it all that much more unbearable.

The process of skinning me alive went on for what seemed like hours, but could only be minutes or days. There was no way to know for sure with pain clouding my mind and the rolling blackouts my mind seemed overjoyed for force on me. All I knew was that by the time the heavy door to my cell was slammed open and Walker walked in, his papery face peeled back to show a demented grin.

"Sammy." I grimaced, the edges of my vision clouded with pain and I was probably delirious, but the nickname still drove me up the wall. "You look sufficiently beaten."

I spat at him, my spittle mixed with blood from my raw throat, it landed on his suit and I was mesmerised by it for a moment, the deep red was so blatant against the bleached white material. Walker looked down at his suit, before up at me, and before I knew it, his fist connected with my jaw and I was sent rocking back, the motion aggravating the raw patches of skin on my body.

The torture had only just begun.

* * *

_**Dan's POV**_

"GET THIS BLASTED COLLAR OFF OF ME!" I snarled, my clawed fingers digging at my neck as I stormed into the pitiful excuse of a hide out. If that washed up excuse for a ghost thought he'd take away _my_ Sam—.

Whoa hold up, when did she become _mine_?

Ah, fuck it. There's no time to think about that.

"TUCKER!" I could practically feel the veins in my neck throbbing with anger, my face probably an even brighter shade of cyan with my ectoplasm rushed to my face in the mix. "Tucker! God DAMN it man where the fuck are you!?" I snarled in my rage, slamming my hand through the nearest wall as the confused man rounded the corner.

"Dan? Where's Sam? What's—"

"Shut up and get this goddamn mother fucking collar _off_ of me!" Small electric bolts danced along the collar but I barely noticed them, my anger making me shake and some energy making it to my fists, the green glow menacing in the dimly lit hallway.

"Okay, okay, calm down, explain first. What happened?"

"THEY GOT HER YOU STUPID WASTE OF HUMAN FLESH." I admit, I was being a little harsh, but my emotions weren't exactly with me and I _really_ wasn't pleased with Tucker right then. "If I had my powers Vlad wouldn't have been able to take her!"

"Vlad took Sam?" The full severity of the situation seemed to finally dawn on slow little Tucker as he grabbed my arm, ignoring my warning growl as he dragged me into a small room and immediately got to work with my collar. "You're sure?"

My temper was getting the better of me but I reined it in, keeping myself content with clenching and unclenching my fists. "Am I—" I snarled, not completing my sentence as the collar popped off with the slightest electric tingle and I felt the warm tingle of my powers as they rushed up and flowed through my veins, my fists glowing automatically with the sudden buildup of power. I almost laughed at the giddy feeling the power coursing through me caused. Almost jumped and whooped and hollered with joy at the feeling of my old self coming back but held my ground, all too aware of liquid green eyes peeking at me through thick lenses.

"Well?" Tucker asked, and I couldn't help but pick up the all too apparent quavering in his voice as he spoke to me, he knew my powers were back, he could no doubt see it in simply the ghostly glow around my body which had become so much brighter.

I stared at him, noting the way his green eyes darted this way and that, never quite resting on my own, like a humming bird flittering around a patch of flowers. I found myself narrowing my eyes; my lips peeling back to show my sharp teeth.

Vlad had taken something of mine. Something that, though I hadn't had it long, I had come to cherish and enjoy with a flourish I hadn't had since I was fourteen and half-human. I had found something that had long since been taken from me, something I knew I only had this one chance. Something that shouldn't have ever happened and it was mine. I wasn't going to let some dick-faced double crossing chess-obsessed lonely billionaire keep her away from me.

In the few months I'd been hanging out with Tucker and his group of struggling rebels, I'd struggled with my own rebellion: my thoughts. There wasn't any reason for me to feel this way about any of these pathetic bags of flesh, and yet I kept them alive and around.

Tucker I did it because it was oh so amusing to scare him. I kept Valerie alive because she stirred memories of my past- pleasant and unpleasant- and I had to admit I had a soft spot for her, having had a more-than-friends relationship with her before I killed everyone and horribly mutated her father.

But of course there was no _real_ reason for me to keep them all alive other than the above. I just didn't _feel_ like killing them, and as much as the thought disturbed me, I went along with it. I was a ruthless killing machine in a _past_ time. A realm that didn't exist anymore and I knew that as well as that meddling time ghost, which I suspect is why I was allowed out of his layer in the first place.

So my thoughts continued to rebel against me, telling me that these were going to become my _friends, _that I should trust them. I couldn't understand it. Why would my thoughts betray me like this? My first instincts should be to slaughter, maim, to _destroy_. But instead they were to keep calm, help them, to _protect_ them.

There were many nights I stayed up growling indecencies over my situation, cursing the fleshbags that soundly slept in the next room over. And her. Always her. It always came back to _her._ Samantha, Sam, Sammy, take your pick, the girl with the waist long raven hair, sparkling amethyst eyes, and horrible taste in music. The one whose smile lit up the room, whose laugh was like liquid sugar, whose small touches sent electric thrills through me. She was the one who sent the overwhelming desire to protect through me, and who made my knees go weak with a glance.

I hated her most of all.

But yet I knew deep down that I needed her. She was keeping the voices of my two incompatible consciousness at bay, allowed me time to let the _real_ me through. My fists clenched as I thought about it, cursing Danny's underdeveloped mind and petty obsession with protecting everyone was the reason I was in this foolish predicament in the first place. Especially Sam, his love interest and now, as loathe as I was to admit it, my love interest too.

Tucker made a small questioning noise, slamming me back to reality and I realised I hadn't yet answered his question. Yes, I was sure Vlad took Sam. He looked at me expectantly, his eyes pools of uncertainty and fear. Fear of both me and Vlad, I assumed, though his instinctual fear of me had lessened slightly since I didn't immediately throttle him.

"Yes, I'm sure it was Vlad, and we're going to get her back." I saw my teeth flash in the reflection of Tucker's lenses and I cracked my knuckles.

No frootloop takes my Samantha and gets away with it.

* * *

**A/N: **

Hey guys!

Alright so here's the deal, I currently have three active stories in the process of being posted, so this is what I'm going to do:

I'm going to update them in rotation. So, for example, I'm updating _Destinies Entwined_ right now, so the next story will be _Inferno_ because I just updated _Lockdown._

So expect the next update to be of _Inferno_ until each story in turn is done.

[And let's hope I don't add any more stories to the rotation! Haha]

I hope I didn't confuse anyone, haha.


	6. Chapter 6: Multiple

**Chapter 5:**

_Multiple_

**Started:**

_August 26 2012_

**Edited:**

_September 05 2012_

**Uploaded:**

**Chapter Warnings:**

_Mention of abuse_

**Chapter Rating:**

_T_

* * *

_**Dan's POV**_

"_Not everyone becomes a ghost." _I snarled as I slammed my fist down on the desk. Tucker blinked at me in shock, Valerie was by his side, bristling with my hostile attitude and armed to the teeth. She didn't scare me though. She would never scare me. Nothing she could do would over power me. "So _no_, Danny's _probably_ not in the Ghost Zone. I would have seen him when I was there." We'd been over this so many times, it was redundant now. They refused to believe that Danny wasn't in the Ghost Zone, and therefore could be dead for good.

"So that means that he's either _not_ dead," Valerie offered slowly as Tucker sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, "or his ghost half just wasn't strong enough to keep himself around."

Tucker shook his head as he sat up straight. "We're on our own, we knew that."

"But we're more than alone now, Tucker." Valerie said softly, "We don't even have Sam now."

Tucker frowned, thinking this over. He leaned his chair back so it balanced on just two legs as he tapped a finger lazily against the desk in front of him. "We might not have Sam or Danny," he conceded, "but we do have Dan."

At this they both turned their heads to look at me and I gave them a hard stare back. They had to know I wasn't one to just roll over and do as they said. I'm not a lap dog.

"I say we give the Ghost Zone another chance," Valerie approached the subject cautiously; she didn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers. "Even if Danny's not there, we might be able to convince Skulker or the Far Frozen to help us…"

She had a point, I mused to myself silently, pressing my fingers together like a steeple and narrowing my eyes. We'd need the big guns. Maybe even Behemoth himself. "We might be able to acquire Behemoth's help, if we can find him."

Tucker and Valerie looked at me blankly before looking at each other. "I'm sorry, but which ghost is Behemoth?"

I paused as I looked at them, suddenly remembering that no, Danny never did fight Behemoth. Only Vlad had. "Right… well, Behemoth is a large ghost. He's powerful, he's _very_ powerful actually. Vlad wouldn't stand much of a chance against him, I don't think. Not unless he's gotten more powerful as time's gone on."

Tucker bit his bottom lip, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "I don't think we'd need him, especially if there's no guarantee we'll be able to keep him around. We need the Far Frozen, because if Vlad's hurt Sam, they're the best bet for medical help. Skulker would be good because he's a hunter. He'd be able to track Vlad down."

I shook my head. "We have to be careful with Skulker," I cautioned. "He used to work for Vlad."

This brought them back and they nodded soberly. Things were looking grim. I tightened my fist, my knuckles turning white and my claws dug into my palms. Damn it, this is _not_ how this is going to end.

Vlad will not win this war.

* * *

_**Sam's POV**_

"Sam…"

The word was quiet, the sound of my name just a breath in the air and I almost didn't believe I'd heard it. Just another trick by the insane ghost that had me trapped here. I resisted the urge to cry; everything I had worked for was taken from me. I thought I was so powerful, so smart, but it turned out I was nothing but weak and Vlad knew it. He had known that he could come and grab me whenever he wanted.

"Sam, open your eyes," the words were louder now, and a memory stirred at the familiar voice that shaped them. "Come on, there's nothing that can hurt you here."

I felt someone brush my hair back out of my face and I cautiously opened my eyes with the gesture. It made me feel at ease, like nothing was going to hurt me again. With a gasp I sat up, staring at the apparition before me.

Floating there in all his glory was Danny.

"Danny…" I breathed, everything Vlad had done temporarily banished from my mind as I reached out to him, but he sadly smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but I'm not really here. I'm close by, but I'm not here." His eyes flickered with something dark, something that I couldn't quite read and that bothered me. But again, I pushed it away as I watched him. "I'm just here to help you through. This is taking a lot of energy for me, but…you'll see me again, I promise." His softly glowing green eyes regarded me with such love and longing that I nearly choked on a sob.

"Danny," I started, tears beginning to flow down my face. "Danny I'm so sorry… you've been gone for so long and we looked but we never found any trace—"

"Shh," Danny smiled and reached out, putting a finger against my lips and I felt it. He was just as solid as he would have been if he had been standing in front of me. "I know… but I'm okay, see? I'm right here. Closer than you think."

"What does that _mean_?" I asked quietly, my own hand wrapping around his wrist, wanting to pull him closer.

"You'll figure it out. I have to go, I'm sorry I can't shield you anymore." He added sadly, breaking my heart with the look of pure distress on his face.

He slowly faded from my field of vision and I woke up with a sharp gasp.

Just a dream.

"Samantha."

The word sounded like someone dragging their nails down a chalkboard. They sent shivers up my spine and made my stomach churn. I was glad I hadn't eaten since I'd been shoved down here.

"My, my don't you look pitiful all tied up like that?" They'd removed me from my hanging position once I grew numb to the pain in my armpits. Now they had me tied up to a table, though it wasn't much of a change. The raw areas where they'd torn off my skin still stung and were probably badly infected, and several cuts and lacerations covered me from Vlad's multiple prodding's and experiments.

Vlad had a sick obsession with trying to torture me for any information regarding my army and its safe points. All of which I'd refused to give up. This angered him more than anything and he'd reacted violently more than once.

"I can get it out of you," he said now, casually as if he were talking to his chef about what was for dinner. "How wold you like for me to probe your dreams, your inner most thoughts? Maybe I could hire someone to read the secrets from your _guts_." Here his civilized smile twisted into a wicked and evil grin, leaning over my table and staring directly into my eyes. "I could tear open your still living abdomen and tear out those flesh sacs and I could _read_ what they had to say. Did you know that you can learn anything from still living organs?"

He laughed and I realized that the former billionaire had lost it. Well, more than he had before but he was downright _insane_ now. The old Vlad would never have done this; he would never have threatened death upon another human.

He had gone insane since Danny had gone missing.

I sighed as Vlad continued to rant as he walked slow circles around me. What I wouldn't give for ghost powers right now.

"Excuse me?" Vlad's head whipped around so hard I imagined it snapping clean off his shoulders. The ghost that was at the door shrank beneath Vlad's withering glare. The little ghost brought itself up after a moment's hesitation and looked at Vlad. "Our patrols have come back, your highness." It said, it's small voice squeaking through the room. "They have reports they wish for you to see."

Vlad hefted a frustrated sigh, turning back to me. "I'll be back for you." He growled threateningly before storming from the room.

I sighed with some relief as the door closed, though I kept myself on edge. Things weren't going to get easier from here on out, I knew that much. Vlad would do anything to make it worse for me. I wished Danny were here.

_Danny?_ A small voice whispered in the back of my mind, though I wished I hadn't thought it, _Or Dan?_

I shook my head as much as I could, trying not to think it. _Dan is Danny's arch enemy, I can't betray him like that._

I sighed, I could _not_ be thinking about this right now. Dan wasn't even a romantic option. Once this whole war was over, he was going back into the thermos and back into Clockwork's layer.

Speaking of, where _was_ Clockwork in all of this? How come he let Dan just step out of the thermos and away?

I sighed before resuming my silent vigil, staring at the ceiling and accepting my fate as Vlad stepped back into the room.

* * *

_**Unkown: Third Person**_** POV**

Plip.

_Seven million, six hundred and thirty nine thousand, three hundred and two…_

Plip. Then the rattle of keys.

_Seven million, six hundred and thirty nine thousand— keys?_

The ghost looked up his green eyes narrowing as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, the chain around his neck preventing him from taking any steps forward. Too weak to defend himself, the ghost none the less shifted into a defensive position, hands balling into something that resembled a fist.

"Feeding time." The guard who came to the cells' door grunted, shoving some mush through a small trap door at the bottom of the heavy metal cell door.

He'd been in here for longer than he could remember; all because he was foolish. Sometimes his captor would come see him, sneer at him and tell him what's happening out there. But generally they left him alone with the guards.

He did have one friend however, a small rat that scurried in and out of his cell curiously. He often let the rat gorge itself on the food they'd give him, since he was always sick when he ate. Not that it really mattered much. No one knew where he was, who he was, or what he was doing here.

No one except his captor, that is. There wasn't anyone left who cared or knew about him. At least, that's what _she_ said. And he believed her, he believed her with every fiber of his being because he was never shown otherwise. Around his neck was a small locket, and some would have teased him for wearing something so _girly_ but it was the only thing that kept him sane.

He couldn't see it, he couldn't reach it with his hands, but he was able to _feel_ it and that was enough to allow him to remember the small picture of his friends that the locket contained.

She would be coming again soon, the shadowed creature with the evil smile and the malicious grin. She'd speak to him, always with _him_ watching, and he'd tell her everything he didn't want to tell her. And she'd feed on it—no, she'd _thrive_ on it. She'd grow stronger and laugh every time and he'd be left feeling weak and defenseless.

And that's how it'd been for as long as he could remember. He wasn't too sure when he'd been brought here. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he did know that he was never going to get out.

He was going to die, or fade away, or something.

And he'd never see them again.


	7. Chapter 7: Sam and Dan

**Chapter 7:**

Dan and Sam

**Started: **

_October 4__th__ 2012_

**Edited:**

****_October 29th 2012_

**Uploaded:**

**Chapter Warnings:**

_None_

**Chapter Rating:**

_T_

* * *

_Dan's POV_

I growled, my red eyes glaring in hatred at the once-was-a-home building we were currently spying on. I _knew_ she was in there. _Knew_ it like I knew my own name; she _had_ to be in there, I thought, my hands crushing the rock under them with the power of my grip. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Tucker glancing at me, but I barely noticed it as I continued to glare at the house, a growl rumbling in the back of my throat.

"Dan," Tucker said gently, tapping some commands on his PDA. "Calm down, you'll give us away if you keep up that ruckus." I turned to him, transferring my glare to him and he cowered under it. Even after working together for weeks, he was still intimidated by me. It was laughable really, how they still thought I was going to tear them to shreds. I wasn't, but the thought was never too far from my mind. I wasn't _tame._

Surely seeing Sam all grown up hadn't tamed me, had it? Sure I'd been more…_docile _around my former friends, but I wasn't _tamed _in the least. Sam had blossomed into a beautiful woman, and I'd like nothing more than for her to accept me and—

Wait, _what_ was I thinking? I didn't _want_ anything. I had everything I could ever want, and besides, I got rid of my human emotions- or so I thought. Sam was nothing but a companion. An increasingly annoying companion who I had an overwhelming urge to protect because of Danny's love for her, combined with Vlad's obsessive personality.

In short, she had become my ghostly obsession.

That was strange considering it had previously been to destroy everything that had an _ounce_ of humanity and happiness in it. I hadn't realised that seeing her again after all this time—as an _adult_ and not as the teenager I'd last seen—would cause my personality to do a complete flip. Sure, I still wanted to grab everyone's heads and rip them off, but that was beside the point. There was now this underlying urge to _protect_ her. And because Tucker was always around her, I had to protect him, too. And that then transferred somehow to Valerie—though I still hated her with a burning passion that I doubt could be quelled any time soon.

She had been, after all, the one thing keeping me from completely eliminating and therefore ruling the world in my own time. Though she wouldn't remember that, since I didn't even _know_ what time I was in currently.

Tucker had convinced me to help with their war effort, and Sam being in danger had solidified the deal. Though I planned to get her out, make sure she was healed, and then destroy the man who'd done this to her. Not only had he taken her from me, I'd failed to kill him back when I was a teenager.

And that will forever haunt me.

I had been too emotionally weak at that point. Too stressed from my recent conception to actually understand exactly what I was doing. And before I knew it, my previous, younger self was at my feet. Bleeding out. Dead.

And Vlad. He had just watched it happen with his mouth open. My fists shook in front of me as the edges of my vision became red, I was still staring at the house we were about to invade, but I was lost in memory. My older self was just standing there with his mouth agape, at a loss for words. Maybe if he'd stopped me, I wouldn't have become what I am now.

_Murderer._

_Monster._

The voices were back. Hissing at the corners of my mind and causing my fangs to hook over my lower lip, venom slowly collecting and dripping down my chin to hiss on the concrete below me. If Vlad had just done _something_ to prevent me from becoming what I am now, maybe I could have changed my obsession earlier on; maybe I wouldn't have become the raving lunatic that I now am.

Maybe the people I _actually_ cared about now wouldn't be afraid of me, then.

Tucker nudged my side and I turned to him with a barely audible hiss. He was ready to go but I had been too lost in my daydream—day_mare _to even notice his command.

But nodding, I turned invisible. I wasn't so naïve to think that Tucker's plan would actually work. He wanted me to send myself and clones through the abandoned building and find and rescue Sam. But I knew that that wouldn't work. This was _Vlad_ we were talking about after all. He was sure to have guards and ghost-security systems set up—that of course would be calibrated to ignore his _own_ signature—that would impede me from getting inside and getting to Sam.

So, I had changed Tucker's plans.

Not that the dweeb knew it yet.

In fact, no one did. I was the only one. The root was the same: Get in, kill who you have to, and get Sam out. But the methods were different. While he was trying to hack into any sort of security system the building might have to allow at the _least_ humans in, we were supposed to get as far in as we could before we hit a snag and at the least scope out the place.

But I wasn't going to do that anymore.

So by turning myself invisible I was still following the _start_ of his plan, but that's where it ended. For one, the little device on my wrist that he'd insisted I wear, some sort of communicator thing he thought I needed. I'd disabled it the instant I'd gotten away from him. I couldn't have him trying to contact me and compromising my position. Besides, I had no plans on withdrawing until I had Vlad's head on a pike and Sam in my arms.

There was _no way_ I was going to leave her behind. This could be the first step in redeeming myself.

Feh.

Yeah, right, like I'd ever be redeemed.

I stormed up to the facility as Tucker and our small attack force scattered and I phased in, black rings appearing around my waist and turning me into none other than Vlad Masters. I had to consciously suppress my ghost core though, but it wasn't hard to do. I'd had plenty of practice in my old time, so impersonating the old billionaire wasn't hard to do. I didn't set off any sensors or raise any alarms from the guards, so I seemed to be in the clear.

"Mr. Masters!"

I paused at the voice and turned around, the guard trotting up to me in full uniform. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the sight of him, wanting nothing more than to overshadow him and pick through his brain till I knew where Sam was, but of course I couldn't do that.

Yet.

"What is it?" I asked in my best Plasmius voice. I eyed the guard carefully. They wore an array of ghost hunting weapons along with two scabbards with swords for hand-to-hand combat. It led me to believe they were reasonably trained, and I didn't want to take any risks with them. But I knew I could beat them to the ground in a manner of seconds if I so chose.

The guard slowed his jog to a stop as he got close to me and he held up a clipboard. "The guards down in Cell block C are requesting you take care of Prisoner 1632B." He said, speaking fast as if sensing that I was too impatient to listen to him. "They've gotten pretty rowdy lately. Which is a little strange…"

But my ears perked up with the mention of a prisoner. _Could it be..?_

If it _was_ where they were hiding Sam, then it went better than I could have ever imagined. I thought I would have had to break my way into the lower regions. Narrowing my eyes at the guard I nodded, still keeping my Vlad disguise up. "Take me to them." I commanded.

The guard hesitated, "But Sir, I—" He started, clearly too intimidated by me to want to take me down there.

"Did I _ask_ for you to question me?" I interrupted with a snarl, allowing a bit of my oppressive aura to come out, making the guard shrink away from me.

"N-No Sir!" he stammered out, gripping his gun with slightly shaking hands. "O-Of course I'll take you down there, Sir!" He saluted, taking a step back and spinning on his heel to face the way he'd come. He started walking nervously down the hallway and I followed him without as much as a word. I raised an eyebrow for his nervous behavior, mentally stopping myself from chuckling.

The facility was larger than I would have expected from the outside. It went much deeper than we had thought, but it wasn't that big a deal. He was taking me to Sam, and that's what counted. I scanned the halls, noting how many halls branched off from this main one, and which direction we were going in. The man in front of me stopped at a locked door, inserting a key code, which I leaned over his shoulder to spy on.

Once the doors opened and we continued in, we started to descend again. The prisoners were obviously kept in the lowest area, where their cries wouldn't interrupt the work of the men here, or be a distraction to them.

Eventually, the pristine bricks and flooring changed to little more than carved rock. "Watch your step, Sir." The guard said over his shoulder as we stepped down the uneven terrain. "We're almost there."

I nodded but didn't reply as we continued down and he led me into a long hallway filled with cells. He frowned, taking the key ring from his belt and opening a heavy cell door. "Right in here, Sir." He said, opening the door and stepping aside. "I'll wait out here for you, Sir."

I nodded, and stepped into the cell.

* * *

_Sam's POV._

Vlad's fingers curled around something that I couldn't see, his eyes, glazed in madness, looked up and locked on my own. His lips peeled back into a twisted grin as he turned fully towards me, holding up what looked like a juicer. As he pressed a button, it started to spin, making a mechanical hissing noise. I swallowed nervously as he brought it towards me. I knew what this meant.

"So, _Samantha,_" Vlad hissed as he stepped ever closer, bringing the machine down so I could feel the air brush past my bare flesh. I'd long since gotten passed my embarrassment of being naked in front of him, since I didn't actually have a choice in the matter.

"There was a time where I _wouldn't_ have wanted to do this to you," He said calmly, waving a hand to dismiss his intentions. "But since you just _have_ to be the resistance to my total domination, I must get you out of my way." His eyes were glazed with pure madness and I knew that the old Fruitloop Danny used to fight was dead, and this…_monster_ was in his place.

A soft knock at the door made Vlad pause, the instrument inches from my flesh and he turned around, growling. "Who **dares** interrupt me?" he snarled, spittle flinging out of his mouth to dot across the floor.

I strained my tired neck to peek at the door as it opened and a glowing ghost poked his head in, eyes locking on Vlad. "T-there's a disturbance, Sir." The little ghost mumbled, gripping the doorknob as if his life depended on it.

The muscles in Vlad's neck worked as he tried to figure out if this was a something he needed to waste precious energy wasting this ghost, or if he shouldn't bother. The maniacal dictator stalked over to the little ghost, grabbing his shirt and pulling him close. "Whatever it is, _dispose of it._" He growled. "You're a goddamned _dragon ghost;_ you can kill whatever it is that has you so _worried_."

The ghost nodded fearfully and Vlad released it. "I-I just thought—since it seems to be the enemy and all—"

Vlad tensed at the words and his suddenly blazing red eyes bored into the terrified dragon ghost. "The _enemy is here_?" He snarled, black rings appearing at his waist and changing him into Plasmius. "Take me there!"

The child ghost turned, guiding Vlad out of the room, leaving me alone. I was grateful for it, because it meant that I could relax a little. I was in so much pain. The room was spinning and I was starving. But I couldn't give up. If the little ghost was right, then Tucker was in this building, here to save me, or to destroy Vlad, whatever came first.

But I didn't want him here. He'd get hurt. Sure, he had Dan to help him, but would that be enough? And who's to say that Dan wouldn't just turn against them? He had shown improvement in his insane demeanor but it didn't mean he was fully sane again.

And he probably never would be.

And that made me sad, though I didn't know why. Maybe it's because I've lost Danny, and Dan's all I've got left to remind me of him, but… that didn't make as much sense as I wanted it to.

Deciding that right now wasn't the right time to think about it, I had an opportunity to escape and I needed to take it. Clenching my fists, I looked from side to side, checking the binds. Pure steel strapped me to the table and made it impossible to escape. There had to be some sort of trigger somewhere, but I doubted Vlad would leave it out in the open where I'd need it, though.

The door opened again, however and I instantly snapped to attention. But it wasn't Vlad who came back into the room; it was the little ghost who led Vlad away. I frowned at his human guise, noticing he wore Aragon's amulet around his neck. "Um…" He said quietly, glancing at the door. "I wasn't supposed to be the one who found you, but…we all had instructions if we did." He carefully started to pick at the binds on my wrists.

"I didn't think we had any ghost help…" I mumbled quietly, watching the ceiling.

"My Lord Aragon sent some of his own out, after Mister Tucker …well, begged." The little ghost mumbled. He couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen years old, but I knew that dragon ghosts ghost forms matured much faster than regular ones.

He got the binds off of my arm and I quickly undid my other arm before sitting up and working on the braces on my ankles. "But…other than that, there aren't a lot of ghosts assisting. They're mostly in hiding." The young ghost hesitated, looking as if he'd rather be off hiding, but his face hardened in pride. "But I'm glad to be with you guys." He nodded, stepping back as I swung my legs over the table.

"You're in bad shape…" he frowned, looking at me.

"Yeah, I know, Vlad banged me up pretty bad." I mumbled, rubbing my wrist as I looked around the room. We didn't have long before Vlad would come back.

As if sensing my thoughts, the dragon smiled, showing his elongated teeth. "Don't worry about Vlad, we've got him pretty distracted."

I nodded and tried to get to my feet but my knees buckled. The dragon quickly darted over and helped me stand, propping me up with his shoulder. I smiled gratefully and together we slowly limped out of the room.

"I'll be able to fly you out once we leave the building," the ghost promised, glancing up and down the hallway before letting me step out. "Until then, I'm worried about the ghost sensors. Mister Tucker said that he'd disabled them, but I'm not really willing to take the chance…"

I could understand that. It wasn't fair to force the little ghost to sacrifice more than he was already risking for me. "Where _is_ Tucker?" I asked quietly.

"Probably confusing the ghosts in this place with his electronics," the ghost replied with a small shrug. "He said he'd meet us back at base in about an hour or so…"

I nodded, satisfied with the answer and instead decided to concentrate on walking. Each step was painful and sent spikes of pain up my spine. It wasn't easy to do, but we made slow progress. We were just about at the entrance when a guard stopped us.

"Hey." He growled, looking both my ghost companion and I over. "What are you doing with our prisoner?" He pulled a gun out, aiming it at the little ghost. "State your business."

"There's been a break in." The ghost drew himself up well, eyes locked squarely with the larger man's. "From the enemy and Mr. Masters is currently occupied. He personally commanded me to get her somewhere where the enemy can't find her." He was quite convincing for a little guy.

However, the guard wasn't buying it. His eyes narrowed behind his goggles and he aimed the gun at my friend's chest, taking aim. "Oh, really?" Sarcasm rang clear in his voice and he nodded slightly. "Well what's your ID number then?"

That stumped the kid and he stuttered, trying to think of something. "I…" But the young ghost wasn't able to think of anything.

That was all the encouragement the guard needed. His gun was already aimed at the young ghost's chest and he tightened his finger on the trigger, eyes never wavering from his target.

* * *

**A/N:**

In case you don't follow Inferno or Lockdown:

all stories are currently on _Partial Hiatus._ This does NOT mean that they are abandoned; it just means they're updated _slower_ than normal due to school.

Thanks!

Also, wow, this chapter is the longest I've ever written I think. JEESUS. Sdklfs

Bye for now.


	8. Chapter 8: Tucker and Dan

**Chapter 8:**

**Started**

_October 9__th__ 2012_

**Edited:**

_December 13 2012_**  
**

**Uploaded:**

_December 13 2012_**  
**

**Chapter Warnings:**

_Sexual Innuendos, strong language_

**Chapter Rating:**

_T_**  
**

* * *

_Tucker's POV_

If it wasn't for the fact that we needed him more than I'd care to admit, I would have made sure Dan was back in the Thermos long before now. I was afraid of him more than I cared to admit, but he reminded me of Danny and there was something between him and Sam that I didn't quite want to get between. Yet. But if her safety came into question then I'd jump in faster than a jack rabbit, but I wasn't prepared to face her wrath if she didn't want me to interfere.

I'd learned that the hard way several years ago, when we were all simple teens in high school. I'd much rather keep my arms in one piece. Valerie was enough of a handful, and I was constantly worried about her more than Sam, but I'd never admit that.

I loved Valerie, and somewhere in my mind I'd always known that I had. It wasn't something that was apparent; I hit on all the girls in school except for Sam. Not only was she like a sister to me, but Danny had dibs on her ever since we all became friends. And you don't just break a dude's trust like that.

But I already had my eyes on Valerie, and though she didn't return my affections until after grad and after we'd all moved out, and _after_ Vlad started this war…it was still nice when we spent those nights together. Even if she chose to act like I didn't exist most other times. That did hurt but…she was concentrated on the war.

And besides it was kind of awkward to wake up in Sam's apartment and have to talk to her. She wasn't really a morning person and having me in the apartment—which had thin walls by the way, so she could probably hear us—wasn't the best additive to her grumpiness.

But Sam needed us now and I needed to concentrate. I was crouched outside what we assumed was Vlad's strong hold, crouched behind a downed piece of wall, typing furiously on my PDA. I was trying to hack into the building's security system so we could get in there and find Sam. Dan was beside me, lost in his own thoughts. He was having some pretty strong conflicting emotions however because his hands were crushing the concrete into pebbles.

"Dan," I murmured gently, glancing at him from the corner of my eye in concern. I knew why he was so anxious, but that didn't make me feel any better, or keep my own fears down. "Calm down, you'll give us away if you keep up that ruckus." I added gently, but he quickly turned from the building he was mentally destroying and glared at me.

Unwillingly, I shrank under his glare. As I said, I'm still terrified of Dan, even though I don't think I had any reason to be. But the man had more power in his pinky toe than I did in all my body. It wasn't a fair match and he knew that. But Dan loved to push my buttons.

Turning back to my PDA I left Dan to his own devices, seeing that he was slowly falling back into his own private world. Ignoring him, I sent specialized instructions to each of our team's personal controls, telling them once again their part in all of this.

We were very lucky we'd been able to get some ghosts on our side, after a lengthy search by Dan—and I assume a violent one, considering some of the ghosts in there hated our guts and would be further intimidated by a high-level ghost like Dan.

Aragon had begrudgingly sent one of his own, a small one, probably fresh out of training but he seemed confident enough—Riley, that was his name. He was only thirteen years old, so I was a little doubtful about Aragon's wisdom in the matter. But the dragon leader had sent along his prized amulet that allowed the young ghost to change into a more human appearance, which helped him go undeterred through enemy territory. We had several other dragon ghosts hidden behind us, invisible and trying to suppress their signature so that Vlad wouldn't sense them, but they were ready to fight when we burst out of the building, if the enemy was on our heels.

It hadn't taken Dan long to gather them, but it was impressive. We had several human allies as well, stationed all the way around the building, ready to get in when I gave the signal.

The plan was clear: Dan was going to get in and be the main assault as well as trying to find and rescue Sam; Riley was to be the inner attack force: if anything major happened, he was to take off the amulet and attack. I was to bring down the main surveillance and figure out if there were any ghost shields.

Though Riley was young, he had made it clear this was his rite of passage; the older dragons we have on our team were not to take his place no matter what, and they all seemed to be in agreement with this. So I had reluctantly agreed, but I instructed some of my more skilled humans to guard him from a distance but to get out of there if he changed forms.

So far, everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I couldn't be more pleased. We just might get Sam out today. It couldn't be a moment too soon, either, I was sure she was in a bad shape if not…

No, I couldn't think of that.

"We need to move out…_now_." I said, sending a similar command to my allies. They all began to move but Dan, still staring off into nowhere, hardly seemed to notice. "Dan?" I asked, nudging him softly in the side, jolting him out of whatever thoughts he was privately having.

But he simply nodded and turned invisible, following my plan. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I moved a little closer, hacking into the surveillance system.

With a frown, I noticed that Dan wasn't exactly following my orders. I saw him change to his Vlad disguise, sauntering down the hallway like he owned the place. I hissed quietly to myself, knowing he had deliberately disobeyed me. I was pissed. It was just like him to do this to us and ruin the whole plan.

I watched as he was approached by a member of Vlad's army, and they exchanged a few words before the guard turned around and walked away, Dan following him. I watched him over the cameras for as far as I could before there were no more cameras. Frowning, I turned my attention elsewhere, watching my team do their jobs. Some were already in slight combat, though no alarms had been raised, thanks to my tampering.

I felt a swell of pride. Everyone in school had always made fun of me for being so in tune with my electronics, but this was my true passion. I never wanted to be anything but an IT guy, working with computers all day would have been a dream come true. But then the war broke out, and Vlad had violently take over, and he hadn't been able to continue his schooling.

But this was helping him greatly, and to take over the entire building's security system, disabled it and its ghost shields _and_ hacked into the surveillance system. It was quite a feat for a supposed "geek".

…Though the title was quite fitting.

I don't think I'd ever been prouder of myself in my life. Ghost hunting had always been something I'd been mediocre at, despite Danny and Sam's encouragements; I was never the best at running and dodging. I was much better when we fought Technus, because then I knew I was useful. Danny and Sam always handled the more agile ghosts, and I had always lagged behind.

I finally felt useful.

I was so caught up in my own little word that I didn't notice until Riley was in danger that the dragon ghost had found Sam. And now there was someone pointing a gun at his chest!

Of course I couldn't do anything from my position but watch in terror. The little ghost did the only logical thing: he quickly brought his hand up to the amulet, phasing it quickly off his neck and changing into his powerful dragon form.

He was only thirteen years old, but he was already over eight feet tall, his wings folded at his sides. The image was gray scale, so I wasn't too sure of his colours, but his massive chest swelled as he took in a deep breath, the guard shaking in fear, visible even over the camera.

Riley didn't aim his powerful fiery blast at the guard however; he curled his long, serpentine neck back, turning his face to the ceiling and letting out a flash of hot fire, exploding the brick and mortar in a shower of debris.

Riley protectively shielded Sam with his wings as the debris settled before leaping out of the tight hallway, taking flight to get her out of there as soon as possible.

Crap.

That was more than a normal alarm, and surely Vlad—the _real_ Vlad was going to come storming down at any moment and ruin the rest of our plans….

Well, at least Riley had Sam…

* * *

_Dan's POV_

This wasn't supposed to happen.

I had long since sent the guard away, and I stood staring at the huddled mass of flesh before me in complete shock.

No.

No…

_NO!_

_This wasn't supposed to happen!_

It wasn't _fair_! This…

I pulled myself away from my downward thoughts, strolling into the room and allowing myself to change back into my true form. My red eyes bored into the quivering sack of meat and my brows drew down into a vicious glare.

Oh, how I'd love to kill this punk right now and never have to be bothered with him again.

But he had cowered the instant the door opened and he saw who he believed to be Vlad, and he had yet to look up. The hairs on his arms were standing up in rows, and he was shivering like there was no tomorrow.

I had to find _Sam_. I couldn't find _him_. This wasn't his story!

…but maybe it really was.

After all, I'm the bad guy.

Closing my eyes, I sneered, knowing what I had to do. Why I'd been allowed out of the thermos in the first place. "Fuck you, Clockwork. This is what you wanted me to do all along, wasn't it?" I growled with clenched fists, my claws digging into my palms. Of course I couldn't get off without more punishment. But I deserved it.

I am a monster after all.

Grabbing the quivering boy by the hair I yanked him up roughly, grabbing his collar and breaking it off easily. Just because I had to be forced through my punishment didn't mean I couldn't revel in it a little.

His eyes didn't open the entire time I freed him from his shackles. I felt ashamed for him; he wore nothing but his shredded boxers and his bloody, bruised and torn skin. So I shrugged off my cape and tossed it around his shoulders in a pathetic attempt to make him stop shivering. Not that I cared, I was beyond that at this point. I was furious.

Picking up the pathetic man before me, I turned to the door. Getting him out might pose a slight problem, but it wasn't anything I wasn't prepared for. I held him fireman style over my shoulder, kicking the door open. It was a long walk back up to the surface, but I could do it easily.

I just didn't want to hurt my charge more than he already was.

Tucker was going to blow a gasket when he sees this…

Silently, I walked up the long stair case, the only noise being the snivelling of the man on my shoulder; my boots were hovering just above the steps. I was using the base amount of powers I could, just in case Tucker _hadn't_ managed to disable those damned ghost shields. There was no telling what would attack me down here.

As I got higher up, and the walls turned from carved stone to laid brick, the building suddenly began to shake. Clutching the prisoner closer, I turned us intangible and floated higher off the ground until the shaking stopped. It was either an earthquake, or there was already confrontation going on. I chose the latter as an explanation considering earthquakes weren't all that common in this area.

I decided to move faster and simply phased us out of the building, causing my charge to moan in protest. But I ignored him, taking simple joy in the fact that he was in pain. Petty, I now, but after everything I've been through, and have _yet_ to go through, it was something I decided to allow myself. So what if I was going to get shit from Tucker over it later, I didn't really care.

But it was time to get to the meeting spot. If there was anything that needed to be done, Tucker would let us know. And I'd come back for Vlad's blood later, once I knew for sure that Sam was safe. If she was still in there right now, however, she might be hurt worse...but I couldn't find her right now, not if I wanted to…ugh, keep _him_ alive.

* * *

_Dan's POV_

It took them all a while, but eventually they retreated and met up with me and the prisoner I'd rescued. I'd hidden him away in a back room of the house we'd chosen, grudgingly tucking him into a bed to try to warm him up. He still had my cape.

Clenching and unclenching my fists, I paced in front of Tucker. "We have Sam, Dan…" The techno geek muttered, watching me pace with concern. "The medics are looking her over, but I'm sure she's going to recover."

Sam had been unconscious by the time they'd gotten back here, and I hadn't been able to see her yet. I was antsy and I hadn't told Tucker about the newest…complication yet. There wasn't much time and I didn't want him to over worry. But now I had to, Sam was contained, so it wasn't like she'd be running off to see and I could allow Tucker at least this small thing.

"Tucker, I'm not worried about Sam," I growled darkly. What I was really worried about was how soft I'd gotten. Damned Sam…this was all her fault. If she hadn't needed me, I wouldn't have had to come to this dimension. I could have gone to any other one and _not_ have to go through all of this again.

I could have sworn I'd gotten rid of _all_ my humanity. That fucking Clockwork must have done something to me when I was locked up in that infernal thermos. Damn my parents for ever inventing that stupid device. I would make sure their deaths in the next dimension I visited would be slow and painful. All of their deaths would be. I wouldn't allow this …_slump_ to continue. I was a ruthless killer, and I meant to keep it that way.

Tucker frowned as he looked at me over his glasses. "Then what's got you so wound up? Vlad won't be finding us we made sure of that—he's still fighting some of Aragon's guys."

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, grabbing Tucker by the front of his shirt and pulling him up. "Just—_come_." I commanded, dragging the geek behind me to the back room, throwing the door open and shoving him in.

Taking a few steps to stabilize himself, he took a moment to let his eyes adjust and when they did, he frowned in confusion at the mass under the sheets. "What the…" he mumbled, walking forward and peeling them back.

With a loud gasp, he turned back to me, his eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. "Dan…this is…"

I felt my eyes flash with anger and I looked away, the muscles in my jaws working. "I know." It still hurt that he was here now. It made my blood boil and my vision haze. I wanted the twerp dead, but he just _wouldn't_ stay down.

Tucker grinned widely, overjoyed with the outcome. It was more than he could have ever imagined, and I knew that he saw this as the best possible situation. It wasn't something he'd wished for over and over, and it made my blood boil, so I kept my gaze locked on the wall. I couldn't let him see how much it was bugging me. I was a ruthless killer; nothing else.

"I'm still going to rip Vlad to shreds," I promised both Tucker and myself, not wanting to forget what I had originally set out to do. Vlad would never see what was coming if I were to attack him. Not to mention Sam wouldn't be back on her feet in time. "I'll rip him to shreds, and you can be rid of this nightmare." I said quietly.

Tucker nodded, turning back to the sleeping body shivering on the bed, a smile on his dark face. I knew what he was thinking, even without overshadowing him and picking his brain. He was thinking that everything was going to be okay now; that everything was going to work out and he wouldn't have to worry anymore. That everything he'd been trying to prevent was suddenly going to disappear with this.

I silently wished him the best of luck.

Tucker's mouth opened, and his throat tried to work, but no words came out. He cleared his throat, putting his finger under his eye and rubbing a tear away that I'm sure I wasn't supposed to see. I pretended like I didn't see it as Tucker was finally able to form words.

"Welcome home, Danny…"

* * *

**A/N: **

Hello everyone!

So school's out in the forever sense. Meaning I graduated college and now I have to work until I decide I'm ready to go back. Ahh!

So anyway, I'm giving you guys everything I've written over the last 15 weeks (which isn't a lot for this story eep! sorry!) and letting that settle in your minds until I'm ready to get back into the swing of writing!

Also, because i DO have to grow up and become an adult, stories MAY stay on a temporary hiatus for a while while I settle into my new RESPONSIBILITY roles.


	9. Chapter 9: Sam Dan and Tucker

**Chapter 9:**

Dan, Sam and Tucker

**Chapter Warnings:**

_Strong Language, violence._

**Started: **

_January 10__th__ 2013_

**Edited: **

_February 5__th__ 2013_

**Uploaded: **

_February 5__th__ 2013_

**Chapter Rating:**

T

* * *

_Dan's POV._

Vlad cackled, his voice ringing across the field and into my ears, causing my anger to jump from simmering to boiling. I could crush him and his little army with my pinky finger if I so wanted. I was stronger than he was, and I had his ghost half inside of me, so I knew all of his tricks. There was no way he'd be able to outsmart me, not when his mind had been corrupted with the power he now found at the tip of his fingers.

His army lay below him, standing stoic and blank faced, each clone a perfect rendition of Danny, though it was obvious they were mutated with whatever it was that made them explode. Vlad wanted Danny back, and that was why he had come out into the open in the first place. He wasn't playing around anymore. This was the end.

However, Danny was too weak to come out and fight. He was currently in a coma, with the medical staff working overtime to try and help him out of it, and Sam wouldn't leave his bedside. She was glued to him like a spider to its web, watching and waiting for the first sign of his recovery. She had abandoned every other ambition she had, and although I wouldn't have let her fight anyway, she hadn't even acknowledged my warning that Vlad was approaching. It bothered me, to say the least.

Beside me, a large dragon shifted, its lips peeled back and teeth bared, wings half spread to make itself bigger. Large, shearing claws dug into the ground, more than ready to get on with the fight. I had told the humans to stay back. Stay underground and hidden, because this wasn't something they could handle. It was bad enough that I had to rely on _dragons_ to help me; I didn't need pathetic meatballs getting in my way as well.

Especially not with so many of them already too scared to be much use. The scent of fear wafting down those tunnels and through those buildings was both delicious and over whelming at the same time. They were determined to help, determined to fight, but it was useless against Vlad's clone army. The Danny's Vlad had at his disposal for an army were much too volatile and dangerous to be put against normal humans; they would explode and tear them apart in an instant if given the chance.

At least the dragons had a thick armor, naturally growing on them. Floating up so I was at Vlad's level—and so that the dragons knew just who was in charge, though I'm sure they couldn't really forget, my power level was well beyond theirs—we locked eyes. His eyes, natural pools of red and hate were twisted with insanity. I'd never seen him look so crazed before, even when he was going after mom—_Maddie. _I corrected myself. That half of my life was _over_, even if I was being tamed enough to help battle Vlad, I was _not_ that weak little _Phantom_ boy anymore. I was Dan. Mighty and powerful.

And this stand still was boring.

I knew that the Danny's would react the instant either of us gave the word, and Vlad was just waiting, assessing me and trying to figure out what I was going to do. With the tiniest twitch of my fingers, the dragons behind me roared and sprang into action and I shot one fist up and sent a blast in Vlad's direction.

The powerful ecto energy hit home, but instead of knocking Vlad back, he just disintegrated, leaving nothing but a plume of pink smoke in his wake.

A clone.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath as I turned, just as I was forced upwards from a blast from a suicide-Danny. Those explosions were powerful and they caused updrafts of hot air, messing with flying and levitation. Looking around and through the crowd of snarling, angry beasts and explosions I tried to pin point the _real_ Vlad, but was coming up empty handed. It was just like him to send a clone instead of himself. It wasted less energy and put him out of direct fire.

So where could he be?

* * *

_Sam's POV_

The water was cold now, but that might be better than what I was already putting on him, it would seep into his skin and fight off his fever, maybe it would help him wake up. I wasn't holding out much hope. Danny was pretty deep into his coma, he was too thin and he was hurt pretty badly. The doctors didn't know what else to do for him, and without any source of fresh plants or supplies, they had no way to make any sort of medications. They could only hope the power would stay on so he could stay on his machines and his IVs until he comes out of the coma on his own.

Because everyone thought he would, because he's a ghost. At least a half ghost, unless Vlad had done something to him that took that part away, but we couldn't have _two_ Dan's… not with Vlad still having his own ghost half, it was impossible.

I put the cloth back in the water and stretched; the vertebrae in my back popping when I stretched and settling back into position. I should really be asleep as well, the doctors were constantly hovering over me and around me, wondering when exactly I was going to stay still and let my own wounds heal. But they were nothing compared to what Danny has, and I couldn't just leave him alone. He wouldn't leave me alone. So leaving him just wasn't an option for me, either.

"Sam?" Tucker again, I turned and frowned at him, wondering what exactly he was doing here again. He'd been checking on us for so often, I was wondering if he was even doing his job. "Is there any difference?"

I shook my head quietly, patting Danny's forehead with the cloth, taking the sweat away. Anyone else could do this too, just sit here and tend to him and make sure he didn't overheat, but I took it upon myself to make this my job. After all, I'd already proven that I was useless on the field. I wasn't any good to anyone right now, anyway. There was no way I'd be able to get out there and actually battle, let alone take out my personal vendetta against Vlad. He was too strong for me, and I had grudgingly admitted it. There was no way I could take him out, and I just had to hope that Dan was able to do it for me.

"There's no difference," I whispered, feeling that anything louder than a whisper might wake him up. I got up, picking up the bowl of water and coming to the door, squeezing past Tucker, who quietly closed it after me. Danny was alone with the beeping of the machines and the drip of the IV to keep him company, but not for long. I would never leave him alone for long. "I don't know what Vlad did to his ghost half, but it must have been something horrible for him to be out for this long…" I looked down at the dirty water and headed towards the nearest sink, which was in the kitchen, Tucker following me like a loyal dog.

"It must have been something serious," Tucker stated the obvious as I poured the old water out. "We might need to get him to Frostbite." I hadn't thought of that. Frostbite might be the only being able to help Danny in his current condition, but how would we get to him? Vlad has the only working ghost portal, and I doubted that Dan would make one for us to help _Danny_. Dan wanted Danny dead; he didn't want to help him in any way.

Turning on the tap and rinsing out the bowl, I thought about it, biting my lip as I did. "We'd have to go after we defeat Vlad, and use his portal."

"Dan could make one." Tucker said with a shrug, but I ignored him. I wasn't going to ask Dan to do that, not after everything he'd done for us so far, against his nature. "Since he already has to open one to get the dragons home, we could just hop in with them…" I hadn't thought of that, and it was a good point, but I didn't really want to be talking about Dan right now. I had Danny to worry about after all.

"How is it going out there, anyway?" I asked, making sure the water in the bowl was lukewarm before turning and starting to walk back to Danny's room. Walking had become easier, now. It still hurt, but it wasn't as gruelling as it had been.

"I'm not sure, Dan hasn't sent any reports yet." Tucker was watching, I knew he was, but he wasn't able to see everything. "I know that the dragons are fighting, and we've lost a few, but their doing fairly well against the explosions, just like we'd hoped."

That was good. If the dragons could take care of the bulk of the explosions, it would be less for the human army to encounter later. It seemed too good to be true. The building was under constant stress from all the explosions, however, and they were constantly shifted around from the vibrations. The old wood groaned during particularly bad hits, but still held firm. If Dan could keep them away from the building, they'd be alright.

"I hope he's got everything under control." I said as I put my hand on the doorknob to Danny's room, turning to face Tucker, "And that this is the final battle, like he keeps promising us." Twisting the knob and opening the door, I heard a gasp from Tucker as his eyes locked on something in the room. With a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, I slowly turned around. It took all my might not to gasp as well.

"Well, well Samantha… Nice to see you're still alive."

* * *

_Tucker's POV_

It wasn't going as well as it was supposed to be, and that was making me worried. I watched through an old pair of binoculars as Dan hunted for Vlad, having lost him to his clone in the first strike. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, and we'd all thought that Dan would have known better than to lose Vlad like that. It should have been obvious that Vlad was simply a clone, that the real one was still at large and probably using all his resources to find Danny.

With that thought, I knew where I most needed to be. I grabbed one of the more powerful guns and tucked it into my belt, and headed down into the subbasement, where we were currently keeping Danny. Mostly because it was cool down there, and it would help him with his fever, but also because it was the most secure place; it was out of direct line of fire, and under several layers of trained people, so it was that much harder for Vlad or his arm to penetrate and get at.

But now that Vlad was missing from the battle field, I knew where he was going to be, and with everyone busy with their assigned positions, I headed down and opened the door, knowing Sam would be annoyed by yet another interruption from me. But this time, it was worth it. "Sam?" I called out quietly, making sure not to startle her. She turned to look at me, clear signs of exhaustion on her face. "Is there any difference?" I knew that she—or at least, who she used to be—would not appreciate any interruptions, and certainly not from someone who was there to protect her. She wouldn't want to be protected. She liked to believe she could do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, however she wanted, and that she would be okay. That she didn't need anyone's help, or anyone to protect her. But this time she was wrong. Not that I was going to openly admit that I was here to help her, but it was a start, at least.

We talked about little things for a while, I brought up what I'd been thinking; that Frostbite might be the only one able to help Danny in his current condition. He'd done it once before, and his medical facilities were the best in the ghost zone. There wasn't much else the humans could do for him; not if it was a ghost related thing keeping Danny unconscious. I already knew that Dan probably wouldn't be much help when it came to getting Danny into the ghost zone, but it was worth a suggestion to her, because if anyone could convince him, it would be Sam. But even she wasn't keen on the idea of it, so that meant that the only option they really had left was to build their own portal, or get to Vlad's.

So they'd have to wait till Vlad was taken care of.

Tucker had strategically placed guards inside the subbasement, to keep Danny and Sam protected, even if she didn't quite catch on. Her head wasn't how it used to be yet, she was still slow on some things and she was more distracted by Danny than concentrated on the war effort. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Sam hardly noticed young Riley standing in the kitchen with them—each floor had utilities, so that no one had to run up and down stairs with full trays of food—watching them carefully. He had asked to be placed with Sam, and I hadn't found reason to disagree, he seemed protective of her since he found her, his pride swelled larger than it normally was for a dragon. It was a nice change, and Riley was strong, so it wasn't a bad idea.

I waited with her while she refilled the bowl of water, and walked her back to the room. The pit of my stomach was twisting in an unnerving way, and I didn't like it. I had become reliant on my gut instincts, and they were currently screaming at me about something. This was confirmed when Sam opened the door and I saw Vlad standing there, holding Danny up by the hair, the wires and IV tube handing limply from their stands, trails of blood running down Danny's arm from where they were ripped out.

"Well, well Samantha… Nice to see you're alive." Vlad said, his voice coming out like toxins as he brought one hand up, his fingers gently gliding along Danny's chin and down his neck, tracing his jugular. "And it's nice to see this boy alive, too." He said with a mocking smile, shaking Danny once for us to see. With him holding Danny, I couldn't fire at him. I hadn't gone for my weapon yet, not wanting to blow my cover. Danny was being used as a human shield, and we all knew that.

"What do you want?" Sam asked, her voice carrying its usual defiant streak, reminding me of our younger days.

"Isn't it obvious?" Vlad drawled, swinging Danny's limp body lazily. "I came for my property, which you so rudely stole from me."

"He isn't property!" Sam shouted, her hold on the bowl in her hands so tight I was surprised it hadn't shattered yet.

"Oh, but isn't he?" Vlad asked, bringing a hand close to Danny and lighting it with his pink energy. Danny gasped and twitched, the first sign of him still being in there since we'd gotten him back to base. "I'm the only one that can revive him, after all…" Vlad grinned, toying with us like a cat with a mouse.

I couldn't stand it anymore, I couldn't stand Vlad shuffling Danny around like a rag doll, he was a living being! Vlad, in his insanity, was going too far! "Put him down!" Surprisingly, my voice didn't quake. It was more of a command than anything, but in the split second that I'd said it, I already had my gun out, charged and aimed at Vlad's stupid forehead. The man was still in his human form, so I wasn't sure how much damage the gun would do, but I was hoping enough that it would send him back and away from Danny. Not that I would risk firing it yet.

The room was so quiet now you could hear a pin drop, so it wasn't hard to miss the pounding of feet as Riley arrived, his eyes glowing dangerously at the threat. Vlad simply raised an eyebrow at me and then glanced at Riley. He knew that the boy was a dragon; he had to, after Riley had blown a hole through his base to get Sam out, but right now the young dragon couldn't hope to transform here. Being eight feet tall had its disadvantages sometimes. "I said, put him down." I repeated slowly, nodding towards Danny's bed while not taking my eyes off of Vlad. "Put him down, and I won't shoot." That was a lie, but I was hoping that Vlad wouldn't catch it.

"Dear boy, I think you're a little too cocky," Vlad's voice was right in my ear, and I realized too late that he'd sent out a clone when I felt something stab into my side. Through the ringing in my ears, I could hear Sam screaming and Riley shouting, but I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be there for Sam. I was supposed to protect her and be the hero for once. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I looked up, my weapon on the floor and forgotten as my vision blurred at the edges and I looked up at Vlad, trying to pull myself together; to get back up and fight him like I knew I could. I had to be there for Sam. I had to protect her.

Vlad's mouth moved, but for the ringing in my ears, I couldn't make sense of it, and suddenly he was kneeling next to me, a dark grin on his face as he reached towards my head, his hands glowing with his energy before releasing it.

It's dark. And nothing hurts anymore.

* * *

**A/N:**

Sorry this chapter is so late! I hope it makes up for itself though!

Also i'm sorry if there's mistakes I've missed; I have to get to work now and I wanted this to be uploaded before I left, so I don't have time to edit it!

I'll try to update all my stories faster, they're all almost done! :D

Also, whoever is still with me with these new or old... I LOVE YOU.


	10. Chapter 10: Sam and Dan

**Chapter 10:**

Sam and Dan

**Chapter Warnings: **

_Violence_

**Started:**

April 12, 2013

**Edited:**

April 30 2013

**Uploaded:**

April 30 2013

* * *

_**Sam's POV**_

I screamed. I couldn't help it. Tucker had been stabbed, right there in front of me. I thought fast. He'd dropped the gun he'd been aiming at Vlad, he was on his knees and everyone's attention was on him. Riley was behind me, his eyes glowing in anger and I knew he was seconds from transforming. I jumped, grabbing the gun and rolling, firing a blast at Vlad's hand.

He dropped Danny, who landed in an undignified heap on the floor as Vlad recoiled his hand, hissing in pain. Tucker was dead. I had seen it as I had jumped, as I had rushed to get Danny out of Vlad's hand in the slight gap in Vlad's concentration.

Riley transformed. I heard the roof snap and felt the structure shudder as the dragon roared. Despite my own injuries, I grabbed Danny, hauling him over my shoulder and sprinting to Riley's side. The dragon breathed fire into the room and I hoped it'd be enough to at least stall Vlad.

It was too much to hope for it to kill him.

Hopping onto Riley's front leg, I held on tight to Danny and it, as the dragon flapped his wings, clearing the debris out and breaking through the rest of the old building. I wasn't sure how many people were still in the base, but it didn't matter to me anymore.

Tucker was dead.

His body was down there, but there was no way for us to get it without going past Vlad, so we had to leave it. Riley flew up and out, and I had Danny in my grasp. That was enough. It had to be. We had to regroup, fight Vlad somewhere else. Get Danny _away_.

I didn't know where Dan was, but I knew that we needed him. If anyone could fight Vlad, it would be him.

Riley shifted us, I knew that our weight combined with his own was a little much for him. He was just a child after all. But he was determined to get us as far away from Vlad as possible. He turned us invisible as he flew, craning his neck to look down at us. "I'll take you to the mountains." He said quietly as he flew.

I knew that we could find somewhere to hide Danny there, so I simply nodded. That would be the best place to hide until Dan could find us. _How would Dan find you?_ The rational part of my mind asked. _He's going to see the wreck of the base, and figure you're dead_. Of course that was a possibility, but Dan was _Danny_. He'd find a way.

And if he didn't, I'd have to find him.

* * *

_**Dan's POV**_

_Shit_. The base was destroyed. The building was down, and rubble was everywhere. Here and there I could see limb sticking out from large slabs of concrete. I clenched my fists, lowering down so my feet touched the ground. Where were they?

Where had Sam, Tucker and Danny gone? There was a large crater that led down into the subbasement and my gut twists. I could see a pool of blood and a brown arm sticking out from under a large chunk of concrete. I would know that arm from anywhere. Tucker was dead.

A rage started in my stomach and spread through my body, making me physically shake. Tucker _was dead_. I'd worked hard to save him in this universe and he _still_ died.

Was _everyone_ destined to die?

I knew the answer to that without even trying to question it. Of course everyone was. This was my future we're talking about. I can't have a happy ending; it'd break the laws of nature.

I ground my teeth together, drawing some sort of sick satisfaction from the way my fangs dug into my lower lip. Vlad was going to pay. He'd caused this. He'd caused the damage to the base.

But if Tucker was here, where were Sam and Danny? The room beyond was blocked from view by large boulders, but I phased in, preparing for the worst. But all I saw was smoke and scorched fabric. The bed had been burned; everything in the room had been by the looks of it. But I could see no other burned bodies.

A wave of relief passed through me but I quickly pushed it away. I can't be getting emotionally attached to these people. Especially since I knew there was no way I could stay with them. Fuck getting sentimental. This was _war_.

"Clockwork," I ground out, levitating out of the wreckage and looking around, trying to find _something_ passed the mass of broken buildings. "I swear when I find you, I'm going to end you _slowly and painfully_."

All I had to do was make sure Sam was safe, and Vlad was dead, and everything would be fine. I could find a portal back to the ghost zone and leave this godforsaken place.

I felt more than saw the blast that was flying towards me. Turning, I brought up a tight barrier, and the ecto blast bounced off of it harmlessly. Snarling, I turned towards the source, my eyes locking on the sender. Vlad was floating a few feet from me, looking riled and more than a little insane.

Perfect.

Charging my hands, I sped towards him, sending blasts after blasts at him, my shots bouncing mostly harmlessly off of his shield. The constant assault was draining though, and I could see him starting to strain. Little cracks appeared in the shield, becoming clearer to me the closer I got to him. I grinned. This was it, the final battle.

We fought for a long while, and I was glad that I had seemingly found the original Vlad. Not a clone. And if he was a clone, then Vlad had done a mighty good job of keeping it stable. I knew all of Vlad's moves, so it was more of a matter of keeping him from landing a hit and waiting for an opening than actually breaking a sweat fighting him.

Several minutes into our stalemate battle a roar broke the otherwise silent day, and both Vlad and I looked up as Riley appeared. His wings were spread wide and his claws out, catching Vlad easily in his huge talons.

I stared almost dumbly as Riley drove the crazed halfa to the ground, before reacting and following them down, landing a few paces away. Stalking over, I let a growl start in my throat, rumbling out and showing I meant business.

Riley's massive head turned to look down at me, eyeing me casually. He knew I was on their side, but my power seemed to intimidate most ghosts. That was fine; I could work with that.

Riley's lips pulled back and he raised one paw, the other keeping Vlad securely pinned to the ground. His eyes darted down then back to me, indicating what he wanted.

Vlad screamed a chain of curses, thrashing under Riley's paw and blasting at the dragons thick hide with his powers. "Let me up you insufferable beast! I'll turn you into boots for heaven's sake!"

Riley clenched his toes, the claws digging into Vlad's sides and the man screamed, quieting and settling for glaring. I approached slowly and carefully, crouching down to look at him. "Well, Vlad." I drawled, knowing that we had him, this time. "Looks like it's over. Finally over."

I still never figured out why in my own time I'd chosen to spare him. Maybe it was because he was a pathetic husk of a man after Plasmius had been taken out. Or maybe it was because I couldn't bring myself to kill the last being alive that had wanted to care for me.

Either way, in this time, Vlad deserved to die. I knew Sam would want to do it, and internally I warred with myself for a second. She'd be pissed if she found out I finished him. On the other hand, I didn't know where she was, and I wasn't about to lose this opportunity to go find her.

So, instead I looked down at Vlad, my face turning into a frown before grabbing him around the neck, phasing him out of Riley's grip. The dragon let out a noise of protest, but I knew Vlad wouldn't be able to leave. Not with me holding him.

I could feel the pulse in Vlad's neck quicken, and I knew that despite how batshit insane he'd become, he knew he was done for now. And he was terrified.

I turned my free hand intangible, sliding it into his chest. I grabbed his core; the very thing that let his ghost form function, and I yanked. Vlad screamed, writhing and tearing at my hand with his claws, the pain almost unbearable for him.

I ignored his pathetic attempts to get away from me, and yanked harder. The core ripped free of his body with a loud _snap_, almost like a bone breaking. Vlad screamed again and went limp in my hand, changing back to human form.

This was too easy.

I crushed the glowing ball of energy in my hand, ectoplasm running through my fingers and dripping to the ground. I let it go, let it melt into the dirt and dust below my feet before turning my hand intangible once more. To kill Plasmius was only half the battle.

Vlad had to die, too. My hand melted into Vlad's chest with no resistance and I found his heart. He gave a startled, terrified gasp, feeling my hand around his precious organ. I could see his plea in his eyes, even if he was unable to voice it because of the restriction my other hand presented to his neck. He didn't want to die.

But it was too late for retribution.

I tore his heart out easily and the man collapsed in my grip. Dropping his body to the ground, I also dropped his heart, watching with a twisted grin as the bloody organ pumped once more, blood spewing from it.

Vlad was dead. The war was over.

I turned and Riley nodded. He took to the air and I followed. On the ground below us, the Danny's clones shuddered and collapsed. Vlad's powers had been holding them together, and with him out of the picture, they had nothing keeping them going.

And for now, I didn't care. We were going to find Sam.

* * *

_**Sam's POV**_

Riley let us off on top of a nearby hill. The dragon watched to make sure we were okay before taking off, probably to find Dan. Or so I hoped.

I turned to Danny, making sure he was comfortable before looking down the hill. I had to get back to the battle. Dan wouldn't want me to; but right now, I didn't care what he wanted. I had to get down there.

I was interrupted by a moan and shuffling. Turning in shock, I saw Danny twitching, his face turning into a grimace. He was waking up.

"Danny?" I breathed, crouching next to him and pushing his hair out of his face. "Danny, can you hear me?"

His blue eyes opened for a second before closing again, hurt at the brightness of the day. "S-Sam?" He croaked, and his voice sounded strained—broken and disused. But it was him.

"Danny…" I knew I was on the edge of tears and I scooped him into my arms, holding him close. "Oh god, Danny, you're okay."

"Hey…" He mumbled, weakly shifting in my grip. "Easy there."

I've never been more elated in my life. The war was shuffled into a back corner of my mind, mostly forgotten for the time being as I concentrated on him. "I'm so glad to have you back, Danny."

"How long have I been gone?" He asked weakly, looking around. He didn't know where we were, but it would all be explained in due time. I didn't know how long he'd been in a coma, or what exactly Vlad did. So I didn't want to push him. I didn't want him to know right now; if I said something wrong, it could trigger him into another coma. I couldn't take the risk.

"A while," I murmured, keeping him in my arms and pressing my chin lightly to the top of his head. "But it's okay. What matters is you're back."

Riley landed next to us, and I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. But he changed to his humanoid form and grinned widely. "Danny!" He exclaimed, happy to see him awake. Danny furrowed his brow and gave the boy a confused look. He'd never met any dragon ghosts outside of Aragon and Dorothy, so seeing one now confused him greatly.

I laughed gently, introducing him. When Danny was told, he opened up immediately, just like the good old Danny.

"We did it, Sam!" Riley said with a grin, turning to look at me. "I was able to pin Vlad, and then Dan—" Riley paused and looked around, as if he were looking for the spectre. "—well, Dan killed him. We did it! We won!"

"Won? And what do you mean, _Dan_?" Danny asked, and I frowned, looking around as well. Dan should have been here, I didn't think he'd just up and leave.

Clenching my jaw, I hoped that this didn't mean that Dan was about to start troubles of his own. I don't think we could handle another war so close after the first. The only reason we'd won this one was because of him.

I hoped he just got side tracked, and he was on his way. I wanted to thank him.

* * *

_**No POV**_

The war was done. There was nothing left to fight, and no reason for him to remain there. As he was flying back towards Sam and Danny, the powerful ghost slowly faded from view. It wasn't his invisibility that caused it, but something greater. Clockwork watched from his viewing screens as Riley joined Sam and Danny and knew that all was right.

Things were going how they were supposed to.

Turning, he greeted his guest. "Dan, you did well out there."

Dan's face was pulled into a confused grimace and he looked at the time-controlling ghost. For a brief instant, pain flashed over his face before he got it under control. "Yeah, well, don't expect it all the time."

Turning, the powerful ghost stalked away, leaping onto one of Clockwork's many towers and sitting in the scaffolding, glaring out into the darkness. "You don't want to see what happens next?" Clockwork asked, turning and motioning to the screens. "I can show you…as a reward."

"No." The reply was clipped. He was angry and more than a little upset. Clockwork didn't really blame him, but he knew this was easier than if he'd allowed Dan to stay too much longer. "I really don't fucking care."

Shrugging, Clockwork turned the screens off, allowing only the swirling green of the ghost zone to remain on them. "That is your choice." The master of time knew what was happening next, after all. So he didn't need to see it. He knew that the ghosts would help the humans rebuild, and that the world would slowly return to how it was before Vlad had taken over. Slowly, but not completely. They could never fully recover, but they could get close.

Dan made a low growling noise in his throat, pouting up in his perch and Clockwork let him. He would soon have to be returned to the thermos, but for now the ghost was letting him have some freedom.

He'd earned it.

* * *

**A/N:** and that's the end of that asdkgs

Yeah its not a good ending (Or I don't think so) but I really had no other ideas on how to end this argh.

I'm never doing first person again.


End file.
